Changes
by StarryNight101
Summary: She was just ditzy, crybaby Usagi. She couldn't be a powerful warrior! But she was, and she knew that everything was about to change, whether she liked it or not. Set during season 1, with a darker perspective about Usagi becoming Sailor Moon.
1. This Is Just The Beginning

**Disclaimer: As hard as I have tried, I still don't own the rights to Sailor Moon.**

****AN: This is going to span all of season 1, but with a slightly darker look at it. This chapter is just the very beginning, but I'll hopefully have another chapter up soon, which will start the main plot. This will be slightly AU, but I plan on sticking pretty close to canon. It's not going to be primarily a romance story, but there will definitely be romance in it. :) Please review and let me know what you think!**  
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Usagi Tsukino walked down the street, happily licking away at an ice cream cone. She was in a good mood, because she'd had a test today in school, and she thought she did pretty well. Well.. by 'pretty well' she meant she thought there was a reasonably good chance she passed. Plus, she had just gotten her allowance, so she was looking forward to an afternoon spent at the Crown Fruit Parlor, with a milkshake in hand, playing the new Sailor V game and fantasizing about Motoki. Usagi was just about to turn the corner to the parlor, when she saw a group of kids throwing rocks at a poor cat.

"Hey, you!" Usagi shouted. "Back off!"

The boys, a couple years younger than Usagi, took off running.

"Oh, you poor little kitty," Usagi said. The cat backed away a bit, but Usagi held out a hand. "It's okay, kitty, I won't hurt you. What's that on your forehead?"

Usagi peeled off the bandages on the cat's forehead and saw a peculiar crescent moon there. The cat was black all over, except for on its forehead where there was a small, yellow crescent moon.

"Huh, that's odd," Usagi said. "Well, kitty, I'm afraid we have to say goodbye now. I'd love to take you home, but my mama would freak out if I brought you home. Apparently I'm not responsible enough to take care of a pet." Usagi rolled her eyes at the cat. She gave it one last pet, scratching it behind the ears, and then she left and turned into the parlor.

_Luna watched the girl go with curiosity. She had felt an odd aura around her. It was… well, Luna couldn't quite figure out what it was. But it was different. Could she be one of the warriors Luna was sent to find? There was only one way to find out. Luna quickly followed after the girl._

Usagi skipped into the parlor, swinging her purse.

"Hello, Usagi-chan," Motoki greeted as she walked up to the counter.

"Hi, Motoki-onii-san!" Usagi said. "I'll have a chocolate malt milkshake, please."

"Coming right up," Motoki said. He walked off into the kitchen, and returned a couple minutes later, milkshake in hand.

"Here you go," Motoki said. "One chocolate malt milkshake, as requested."

"Ahh," Usagi said as she took a sip of the frothy drink. She loved all things sweet, but chocolate was her favorite. And no one could make a chocolate milkshake like Motoki.

After she was done with her milkshake, Usagi headed over to the video games at the front of the store. She was dying to play the new Sailor V game, it came out a couple weeks ago but she'd blown all her allowance.

"Arrgh, come on!" Usagi muttered as she pressed the controls frantically. She was just getting to the second boss fight, and that was always what did her in. She had to access the secret weapon in order to defeat the boss, but it was locked in a chest behind the boss, and the key was in the underwater level. Usagi could barely make it out in time, much less find the key. And besides, even if she managed to get the key, the box was behind the monster! Usagi sighed in despair as she died, the words 'game over' flashing on the screen. Well, that was all for today, she didn't have any more money on her.

Usagi left the arcade, waving goodbye to Motoki, and starting on the path home. It was getting close to dinner time, and she was just starting to fantasize about what her mama might be cooking, when she caught her foot on an uneven slab of concrete, and her shoe went flying.

"Ow!" Usagi looked behind her to see a man clutching his head, with her shoe in the other hand.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Usagi asked, bowing respectfully.

"Watch what you're doing, Odango Atama!" The man said.

Usagi was about to apologize again, when the man's words sunk in. "Excuse me, what did you just call me?"

"Well, what do you expect, wearing your hair like that?" The man gestured to Usagi's usual hairstyle.

Usagi was livid. "Why, you… you little…" she couldn't even think of a good insult. She just marched right up to the man, snatched her shoe from him, and walked off.

Who did he think he was? Ruining her perfect day like that! Usagi continued home, unaware of the cat following her.

By the time Usagi got home, it was starting to get dark, and she could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen.

"I'm home!" Usagi said, following her nose to where her mother was in the kitchen.

"Hello sweetheart, how was school today?" Usgai's mother asked as she stirred a pot on the stove.

"Fine," Usagi said, sitting down at the table and popping a rice ball into her mouth.

"How did your test go?" Ikuko swatted Usagi's hand away as she reached for another rice ball.

Usagi winced. She knew this question was coming. "It was fine. We find out our scores net week."

"Well, I hope you get a better grade than on your last test," Ikuko said. "Not that you could really get much worse than a 20%… really, Usagi, if you only studied more, I'm sure you could…"

Usagi tuned her mother out. She got these speeches all the time, and she had them memorized by now, She did try, really, it's just… well, given the choice between lying around reading comics and snacking or doing her homework, it was obvious which one was more fun.

A couple of hours later, after she had finished dinner, Usagi went upstairs to her room. To her surprise, she saw the same black cat from before sitting on her bed.

"How did you get in here?" she asked the cat. "I'm afraid you'll have to leave, my mama won't let me keep you."

"I need to discuss something very important with you, Usagi," the cat said.

Usagi just stared at the cat. "Did… did you just talk? Because cats don't talk. Even I know that!"

"Well, I do, obviously," the cat said,. "Now listen…"

"This is so weird," Usagi said. "I must've fallen asleep or something, or maybe all the studying I did for my last test wasn't too good for my brain, because really, _cats don't talk._"

"Just be quiet for a minute!" the cat said. "My name is Luna, Usagi, and—"

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Usagi asked.

"I have my sources, it's not important," Luna said. "What is important, however, is that enemies are attacking this world, and I need your help. You are destined to be a powerful warrior, and it is your duty to protect this planet from harm."

"Wait, me, a powerful warrior? Enemies? Yeah, right." Usagi said, shaking her head.

"Just listen to me. Use this," Luna jumped into the air, and produced a small brooch out of nowhere. "To transform into Sailor Moon. It will grant you the powers needed to fight off the enemies. Shout 'Moon Prism Power' to activate it."

Usagi hesitantly picked up the brooch, fingering it carefully. She knew what the cat said couldn't be true… I mean, her, a warrior? Besides, magic didn't exist. But something about it felt so _right_.

'_Eh, why not?'_ Usagi thought. It couldn't hurt. So she stood up, held out the brooch and shouted "Moon Prism Power!"

To her surprise, Usagi felt power and light explode within her. She could feel her clothes fading away, and being replaced by a new uniform. But most of all, Usagi could feel the power running through her veins, she could feel it crackling in her fingertips. When the transformation was done, Usagi looked down at herself. Her school girl uniform had been replaced with knee-high red boots, long white gloves, a white leotard with a blue collar, a blue skirt, and a red bow on the front and back of her leotard. Reaching up, Usagi felt a tiara on her forehead.

"Wow," Usagi said, marveling at how different she looked.

"There's no time to waste," Luna said. "Servants of the Dark Kingdom have already started to infiltrate this planet, and without you, all hope is lost. I have yet to find the other Sailor Senshi, so for now, it is up to you. Meet me tomorrow morning at daybreak at the Juban park. I will explain more then, and we must immediately start training."

"Daybreak?" Usagi whined. "But tomorrow's Saturday! I was looking forward to sleeping in."

"Well, I'm afraid that will have to wait," Luna said. "The fate of the planet rests on your shoulders now, Usagi."

"But why me?" she asked. "Why can't it be someone more capable?"

"You were chosen by destiny," was all Luna said. "Don't forget, tomorrow at daybreak, in the park."

And with that, Luna leapt out Usagi's open window, and disappeared.

Usagi, still in her Sailor Moon outfit, realized Luna hadn't told her how to de-transform. Luckily, Usagi instinctively knew what to do. She closed her eyes briefly, and concentrated on it. She felt the power fade from her fingertips, and her Sailor outfit shimmer back into her everyday clothes. Usagi sunk onto her bed, staring at her hands. Just minutes ago they'd held such power, as if Usagi could destroy anything she wished. It scared her. She couldn't be a powerful warrior! She was just ditzy, cry-baby Usagi. All she wanted out of life was to pass middle school, get Motoki's attention, and master the Sailor V games. She didn't lead a complicated life, and she liked it that way. She knew that whatever Luna was talking about was big. And she could feel, it, too. Even after de-transforming, Usagi felt different. Changed. As preposterous as it was to believe in talking cats, magic and mystical enemies called the Dark Kingdom, Usagi knew it was all true. And protecting the planet rested on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone. Talk about a big responsibility. Usagi had never been responsible, she did badly in school, and she was absent-minded and ditzy. Usagi didn't know what the future would hold for her, but all she did know was that everything was about to change, whether she liked it or not.

**AN: Please review!**


	2. The First Test

**AN: Woo, fast update! :D Anyways, I don't have much to say except for read and enjoy! Thanks muchly to my reviewer of last chapter, sakanascales876. I know this story is only just beginning, and I didn't give people much time to read/review, but I did get a couple of story alert/favorite stories, and as nice as those are, reviews are even nicer. :) So pretty please review!  
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><p>The next day dawned bright and early—a little <em>too<em> bright and early for Usagi. She'd reluctantly set her alarm the night before for 5 AM, so she could meet Luna in the park. But she'd overslept, and now it was past daybreak, and she was late. Usagi sighed. She barely knew the cat, but she knew that she was going to be in trouble when she arrived. Usagi dragged herself out of bed, quickly got changed, and headed over to the park. She wasn't looking where she was going as she walked down the sidewalk, and she bumped into a figure.

"I'm sorry!" Usagi said. "I should've been looking where I was going." Usagi looked up, and gasped in recognition. "It's _you!_"

"Geez, Odango, don't you ever pay attention?" The man from the previous day grumbled.

Usagi stuck her tongue out at him. "I have a name, you know! It's Usagi! U-S-A-G-I! Not Odango Atama! Now get out of my way, I'm late."

Usagi stormed off before the man could insult her any more. By the time she arrived at the park, it was well best daybreak, and Luna was mad.

"You're late, Usagi," the cat said with a stern look.

"Sorry, but it's still early," Usagi said. "Does it really matter?"

"Is this a joke to you?" Luna asked. "I expect you to show up exactly when I tell you to. This is an extremely important issue, Usagi."

"Geez, I said I was sorry!" Usagi rolled her eyes. Luna could give Ms. Haruna a run for her money!

"Well, now that you're here, you'd better transform into Sailor Moon. We need to start training, so you're prepared when you face the enemy for the first time," Luna said.

"Yes ma'am," Usagi said grumpily. She walked over to a nearby clump of trees, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and activated her transformation. Even though she was prepared for it this time, Usagi was still taken by surprise by the rush of power she felt course through her body. She walked over toward Luna, reluctant but ready to start her training.

"Now, the first thing to do is to work on your stamina," Luna said. "Although you have heightened healing and fighting capabilities while you're Sailor Moon, your real power comes from your tiara. By shouting 'Moon Tiara Magic' you can use your tiara as a disc, and throw it at the enemy. It is extremely powerful and can vaporize an enemy in an instant. However, it takes a lot of energy, so you need to work on building up your stamina so you can throw it multiple times in battle. Try it now."

Sailor Moon looked around quickly, but there was no one nearby in the park, as it was still quite early, and there was a copse of trees blocking them from view anyways.

"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon shouted, and threw her tiara like Luna had told her to She was half doubtful anything would happen, but she felt a rush of power, and her tiara turned into a glowing disc which sliced right through a nearby tree.

"Ah!" Sailor Moon jumped in surprise when the small tree fell over.

"Not bad for a first attempt," Luna said. "Again."

"Again?" Sailor Moon whined. "I already feel exhausted!"

Luna gave her a withering glare, and Sailor Moon reluctantly prepared to throw it again. The rush of power was intoxicating, but it left her feeling so drained. Luna made her do it again and again, correcting her form, her speed or her strength each time. By the fifth time, Sailor Moon felt like she could barely stand up. Luna finally said that Sailor Moon could go home, and she was about to de-transform when she heard a scream.

"What was that?" Sailor Moon asked, dreading Luna's response.

"I'm picking up negative energy readings," Luna said. "It must be the enemy! Come, it's time to put your training to the test."

"What?" Sailor Moon asked. "But I just spent a couple hours training! I can't face the enemy now!"

"You don't have much of a choice," Luna said sternly. "The enemy won't wait because you're tired or because you don't feel like it, Usagi. If you give them the chance they will destroy you and this planet. You must never give them that chance. Now hurry up!"

Sailor Moon half-ran, half-stumbled over to where she heard the screams coming from. The monster—youma, she corrected herself—was some sort of large, overgrown plant. It didn't look terribly menacing, it just shot vines out of its 'hands', which were large flowers.

"Hey you!" Sailor Moon shouted, distracting the youma from the civilians it was attacking. "Over here, ugly!"

"And who are you?" the youma asked. "Who are you who dares to interrupt me?"  
>"I am Sailor Moon, the defender of love and justice! How dare you attack innocent people? It is wrong to harm others, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"<p>

In response, the youma shot vines out towards Sailor Moon, which missed her by an inch.

"Ah!" Sailor Moon dived towards the ground to avoid the vines. "Phew, that was a close one," she muttered to herself. Sailor Moon was just starting to get up, and brush the dirt off of her clothes when she heard the _whoosh_ of something rushing through the air, and fast. She looked up in time to see the vines heading straight towards her. She knew she should move, but she was frozen to the spot in fear. The vines hit her, and wrapped around her body, preventing her from moving. She realized that she had underestimated the youma, it was much more powerful than she thought. The vines were getting tighter and tighter, making it difficult for her to breathe. There were thorns on the vines that Sailor Moon hadn't noticed before, and they were cutting into her skin. She could hear Luna shouting at her to do something, but Sailor Moon knew it was hopeless. She couldn't even move, much less access her tiara at the moment. Luna's words from earlier echoed through her mind. _"If you give them the chance they will destroy you and this planet. You must never give them that chance."_ But she had, she had given the youma an opportunity to attack her, and now it was too late. Black spots began to dance over Sailor Moon's vision, and she was sure that all hope must be lost, when suddenly she was free. Gasping for air, Sailor Moon looked down to see a rose, still quivering from the force of impact, stuck in the ground, the vines torn all around it. Sailor Moon looked around to see where it had come from, and she saw a mysterious caped figure standing on a tree branch.

"Use your tiara, Sailor Moon, while the enemy is still distracted," the masked man said.

Sailor Moon just nodded dumbly. Who was this guy? How did he know who she was? The time for worrying about that was later, however, there was an enemy that needed to be dusted.

Calling up the last reserves of her strength, Sailor Moon placed her hand on her tiara, and shouted "Moon Tiara Magic!" The tiara shot through the air, and effectively destroyed the enemy. Sailor Moon swayed on her feet, all of her strength gone from the intense training, and then the fight. Her body was wiped out, and she saw her vision stat to go blurry. She gave one last half-hearted attempt to stay conscious, but it was too late. She could feel herself collapsing towards the ground before she finally passed out, all of her energy spent.


	3. The Aftermath

**AN: Yay, another fast review! I am on a roll! This almost never happens to me! A quick warning: if parts of this don't make sense, my apologies, it's tech week for this performance I'm in, so the only time I have to write is late at night. If anything seems a bit weird, let me know, and I can fix it when I have the time. Thanks a bunch to my reviewers of last chapter, sakanascales876, Comet Moon, and PSVT. Reviews mean the world to me! Now, on to the story, and keep reviewing, please!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, the rights to Sailor Moon will never belong to me, so please don't sue me.**

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><p>Sailor Moon awoke to the voice of someone calling her name.<p>

"Sailor Moon! Are you all right?" The mysterious masked man from earlier was holding her in his arms, and gently shaking her. Although she was slightly uncomfortable with the idea of a random guy holding her, she couldn't help but notice that he was quite good looking, especially up close like this.

"Yes, I'm fine," Sailor Moon said, slipping out of his arms. "Just a little tired, that's all."

It was more than that, but al she wanted to do was go home to her warm, safe bed and sleep, and she could do that sooner if she didn't have him worrying over her.

The masked man eyed her carefully, but after a moment he seemed to accept her answer. Sailor Moon turned around to find Luna, and when she turned back, the masked man was gone. Sailor Moon quickly dropped her transformation, it would weaken her more, but she didn't want people staring as she walked home.

"Thank goodness you're okay, Usagi," Luna said. "You must be more careful, you could have died back there! It was reckless of you to give in to your exhaustion, there could have been another youma around."

Usagi whirled around to face Luna. "Stop it. Just stop it, okay? I have had a really crappy day. Just yesterday you suddenly tell me that I'm some sort of warrior, and that it's always been my destiny and I have to fight off evil bad guys who are trying to destroy the Earth, and today you drag me out here for training, and… I can't do it."

"You don't have a choice, Usagi!" Luna said, her eyes cold. "How many times do I have to tell you that? Unless you want to die along with everyone else on this planet, then you have to fight."

"Someone else can do it," Usagi said, as she turned around.

"Usagi, no one else can, it has to be you," Luna said.

"Well, I don't want to," Usagi said, picking up the pace.

Luna sighed as she watched Usagi walk away. How could she reason with the girl? It was Luna's job to find and train the Sailor Senshi, and to eventually find the Moon Princess. The Sailor Senshi may be powerful warriors, but only the Moon Princess could destroy the Dark Moon once and for all. Luna ran after Usagi, determined not to lose this argument.

For a little while they walked in silence, both Luna and Usagi quietly fuming. When they were almost to Usagi's house, Usagi turned around to face Luna.

"I know I don't have a choice," Usagi said slowly. "But this system isn't going to work. I'm not strong enough, Luna, I can't train and train and train and then fight the enemy. I know I have to accept this responsibility, but it can't be like this. We have to change something."

"You're right," Luna said. "I'm sorry, Usagi, my job is to find and train all of the Sailor Senshi, and although you were a powerful warrior in your past life, I forget sometimes that you aren't now. I guess I expected too much from you right at the start."

"What do you know of my past life?" Usagi asked, accepting Luna's apology silently.

"Not much," Luna admitted. "It's quite… hazy. I do believe that once I find all of the Sailor Senshi, and the Moon Princess, all of our memories will be returned. I do know that we all lived in a kingdom on the moon. You were the leader of a group of warriors like yourself, but I don't remember much about them. We all served a powerful and kind queen, Queen Serenity. She had a daughter who was training to take her place, who was around the age of you and the other Senshi. And then there was a terrible war… but that's all I remember."

"Hmm," Usagi said. "Sounds like an exciting life."

They had reached Usagi's house by now, and Usagi opened the door, hoping to sneak up to her room before people noticed her. It was still early… ish. Usagi was certainly known for sleeping past 10:30 AM on weekends, so she hoped that if she managed to sneak upstairs into bed without anyone seeing her, no one would no she had been out. She had no such luck. The second she stepped in the door, Ikuko ran over towards her.

"Usagi Tsukino! Where on earth have you been? I went to go wake you up an hour and a half ago, and you were nowhere to be seen! I demand an explanation to where you were and what you were doing!"

Usagi winced. "I was… out. Taking a walk."

Ikuko eyed her carefully, her eyes widening as she saw the various bruises and cuts Usagi had gotten from the youma. "And how did you get these injuries?"

"I, um… tripped. A lot. Klutzy me!" Usagi attempted a smile, but she could see her mother wasn't convinced.

"Don't you dare lie to me, young lady," Ikuko said. "You never take walks, especially not early in the morning!"

"I'm not lying, mom, I was out on a walk!" Usagi was started to get annoyed, she just wanted to collapse on her bed.

Ikuko shook her head and sighed. "I'm disappointed in you, Usagi."

With that, she walked off, and Usagi headed towards her bedroom. Once she was inside her room, she collapsed on her bed, the day's events playing through her mind. Outside she could hear her parents talking about her.

"… just snuck out, it's not like her…"

"…. don't believe her story about taking a walk for a minute…"

"…. no clue what she was thinking…"

"….. so disappointed, I expected better from her…"

Usagi tuned them out. She didn't want to listen to them at the moment. She couldn't sleep, her mind was racing too fast. She reached between her bed and her mattress where she kept her allowance money away from her younger brother, and pulled it out. She still had a decent amount left. She knew that sneaking out again probably wasn't the best idea, but… she couldn't be in this house. Not now. She knew that Motoki would always be there for her, he treated her like a little sister, and didn't see the dumb blonde so many people saw in her. So Usagi grabbed her money, slipped out of bedroom, past where her parents were talking, and tiptoed down the hall. She was almost out the front door when she heard a voice behind her.

"Going somewhere, sis?"

Usagi turned around slowly, not wanting to face her annoying little brother at the moment. "Go away, Shingo, I don't have time for this right now."

"I don't know, all it takes is one shout, and I can have mom and dad down here in an instant," Shingo said. "But… if you do something for me, I might stay quiet."

"Shingo, I am not going to bribe you to keep you quiet. Listen, I have had a truly horrendous day, and I am asking you, no I am _begging_ you to just this once be nice and let this slip. Please, Shingo."

Shingo was surprised, to say the least. He expected his sister to whine, maybe cry a little, and try to escape quickly, or even pay him. He didn't expect to see the… desperation that he saw in her eyes right now. He was so stunned, all he could mutter was, "Uh.. sure, okay."

"Thank you, Shingo," Usagi said. "If mom and dad ask where I went, tell them… oh I don't know. Tell them whatever you want. It won't make a difference anyways."

Usagi exited her house, and headed down the street towards the arcade.

By the time she got there she was on the verge of tears, and she desperately needed one of Motoki's amazing chocolate milkshakes to cheer her up.

"Hey, Usagi, how's it going?" Motoki asked as she sat at the counter.

"Fine," Usagi said, giving what she hoped was a convincing fake smile. "I'll have my usual, please."

"Sure," Motoki said. "You sure nothing's the matter? You look a little… down."

"Nah, I'm fine," Usagi said. "Just tired, you know."

"Right," Motoki said, but he still wasn't convinced. Normally Usagi would tell him every little detail of her day, and vent loudly about all of her troubles. He knew something was up with her, but if she didn't want to share, it was hopeless to pry. Usagi might be a chatterbox, but she was also impossible to get information out of if she didn't want to give it. Motoki shrugged, and walked into the kitchen to make her milkshake.

Usagi slumped over, resting her head on the counter. Within a couple minutes, Motoki was back with her milkshake.

"There you are, Usagi, a double chocolate malt milkshake, and I even added extra whipped cream and a cherry," Motoki said, as he placed it on the counter.

"Thank you, Motoki," Usagi said, fishing around in her purse for the money.

"And don't worry about paying, this one's on the house," Motoki said.

"Are you sure?" Usagi asked. "I can pay for it…"

"Nah, don't worry about it," Motoki said. "You're obviously having a tough day, and besides, you're one of my best customers."

The bell over the door rang, and Motoki waved to whoever was entering.

"Hey, Mamoru!" Motoki called. "I haven't seen you around in a bit, how's it going?"

"Yeah, I've been busy lately, I took on an extra class at the university, so I've been spending most of my time in the library."

Usagi thought that the voice sounded a little familiar, but if it was who she thought it was, she really didn't want to have to deal with him right now. She turned around in her seat, and her heart sank. It was the annoying man she kept on running into!

"You two know each other?" Usagi asked, dismayed.

"Yeah, we go to the same university," Motoki said.

"It figures you'd hang around the arcade, Odango. No wonder you do badly in school if you just sit around and drink milkshakes and play arcade games," Mamoru said, gesturing to her milkshake and the crumpled test Usagi had just taken out of her bag with a big red F on it.

Usagi narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't have time for this," she said. "My life is more complicated than you could imagine, so just shut up, you don't know anything about me, but from day one you've done nothing but criticize me and make fun of me, and I am just not in the mood for it right now. I don't know what the hell your problem is, but just get out of my way."

Usagi grabbed her bag, and stormed out the door.

Mamoru was shocked. He didn't mean to make her so upset, he was just teasing.

"Geez, Mamoru, what were you thinking?" Motoki chided. "She was obviously having a hard day, and she didn't even finish her milkshake."

Mamoru looked over to where the half finished milkshake sat on the counter, the crumpled test next to it.

Usagi ran down the street, needing to be away from Mamoru. Tears were flowing freely down her face, and she didn't know where to go. She couldn't face her parents, she couldn't face Mamoru… she thought about going to Naru's, but Naru would try and get information out of Usagi as to why she was upset, and Usagi was tired of questions. Usagi ended up in the park, and she collapsed on a park bench, just crying her eyes out. She wasn't sure how long she sat there until Luna arrived. Luna waited for Usagi's tears to dry, just sitting there next to her.

"Why, Luna?" Usagi asked. "It's so hard, I just can't do it. No one understands, and I can't make them understand! I just wish… I just wish I didn't have to do it."

"I know, Usagi," Luna said, "I'm sorry, I wish it didn't have to be like this. But the sooner you accept this as your destiny, the easier it will become."

Usagi didn't say anything. She knew Luna was right, but she didn't know how to accept it. Her entire world had been turned upside down, and she just couldn't cope. Usagi sat there with Luna, watching people in the park go by until her tears finally subsided. Usagi had been sitting there for several hours, and her legs were starting to cramp up. She got up, and started back toward her house. She couldn't avoid it forever. She walked slowly, dragging her feet behind her. When she reached her house, her mother was sitting inside the kitchen, waiting for her. Ikuko opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again, shaking her head, and walking off. Usagi hated disappointing her mother, but she had no choice. Usagi went upstairs to her room, and collapsed onto her bed once more, exhausted, all her tears spent.

**AN: Review and let me know what you think! :)**


	4. Another Ally

**AN: Yay, tech week and the performances are over, and I can't write again! I love musical theatre, but I have had absolutely no time to write lately because of a production I was in. It feels like it's been waaaay more than 10 days since I last updated. This chapter is pretty long, I'm not entirely happy with where I cut it off, but it'll do,and if I went on any longer, it would've been waaaay longer. :P Anyways, thanks a billion to my reviewers of last chapter. Unfortunately I can't remember everyone off the top of my head, and the site won't let me access my story to check, for some odd reason. But you know who you are, and know that I love you all for giving me such great positive feedback! Keep reviewing! :)**

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><p>It had been a few weeks since Usagi had found out her destiny as Sailor Moon, and things weren't very different. Usagi had been training as hard as she could, but using her tiara still drained her, and it seemed the better of a warrior she became, the harder and more frequent the youma's were. Usagi was just about to go to sleep, when her communicator buzzed. Sighing, Usagi flipped it open.<p>

"What is it?" She asked.

"There's a youma, in the park," Luna said.

"What else is new," Usagi muttered. "I'll be there in a minute."

Why couldn't the youma's have a better sense of timing? It seemed they so frequently attacked at night, leaving Usagi exhausted for school, making her already bad grades worse. Her parents had tried lecturing her, punishing her, begging her, relating to her, but nothing worked. They thought she'd fallen into the wrong crowd at school, and was doing who knows what at all hours of the night. Usagi wished that she could just tell her parents; it would be easier on everyone. But she couldn't. Not only would they most likely not believe her, but the more people who knew about her secret identity, the worse it would be. It would endanger everyone who knew, and if the Dark Kingdom ever found out that innocent, cheerful Usagi Tsukino doubled as the powerful warrior Sailor Moon, all hell would break loose. Everyone she loved would be in danger.

Usagi slipped out of her pajamas, and put on some clothes. She tiptoed out her room, and downstairs to the door. She'd gotten quite good at sneaking out, her parents generally only caught her when she got back. Sometimes they never caught her, but then in the morning Usagi would stumble downstairs for breakfast, dead tired and all scratched up, and her mom would look at her and shake her head.

As soon as Usagi was outside, she hit the street at a dead run, only pausing for a minute in an alley to transform. The minute she arrived at the park, she quickly assessed the situation. There was a big, spider-like youma, and several people lying on the ground, not moving. Sailor Moon hoped they were only unconscious. There were lots more people running around, screaming, and Sailor Moon knew she didn't have long before the police got here.

"Hey, you, over here!" Sailor Moon shouted. "I am Sailor Moon, the defender of love and justice! And… ah, forget it," she mumbled. She didn't have time, and the speeches were always lost on the enemy anyways.

The spider shot out a sticky web, but Sailor Moon effortlessly ducked it. She wanted to make this quick, so she pulled her tiara off. It was risky using it so early on as there was a good chance the youma wouldn't be weak enough yet, but she was going to try anyways.

"Moon Tiara… Magic!" Sailor Moon summoned up her power, and felt it flow into the tiara, when it was all ready, she released it with a flick of the wrist, sending it flying towards the youma. The youma avoided, but only barely. It grazed the youma's side, and it hissed in pain.

"Damnit," Sailor Moon muttered under her breath. The youma advanced on her, and Sailor Moon found herself desperately trying to dodge the spider's large, venomous fangs. If she could just distract the youma for a minute or two, she knew she would be able to dust it. But she had no such luck, the youma was at too close a proximity, and all of Sailor Moon's energy was spent avoiding being killed. She tripped over a root on the ground, and rolled over quickly, the youma's venomous fangs just grazing her side. Sailor Moon got up, knowing that it was now or never. She didn't quite have as much room to dust the youma as she'd like, but it would have to do. Sailor Moon reached for her tiara, but she didn't see the youma change tactics, and when she noticed, it was too late. The spider sunk its fangs into Sailor Moon's shoulder, and she cried out in pain. A rose shot through the air and pierced the youma, giving Sailor Moon the time to push it off her.

Tuxedo Kamen was standing on a nearby tree branch. "Sailor Moon, now is the time—"

"Yeah, yeah, save me the speech Tux-boy," Sailor Moon muttered. "I am so not in the mood for this. I'm a better fighter than you are, you don't need to tell me to use my tiara every single bloody time! I'm not an idiot, I can fight fine by myself, thank you very much."

Tuxedo Kamen wasn't sure whether to be amused or offended. He hadn't really thought about the way his comments might be perceived, it seemed like the right thing to say to him. Tuxedo Kamen nodded his apology, but Sailor Moon wasn't paying attention.

"Moon Tiara Magic!" This time, the tiara hit its mark, and the youma screamed in agony as it vaporized.

Sailor Moon swayed on her feet a bit, and Tuxedo Kamen rushed over to help her.

"Are you all right, Sailor Moon?" He had such concern on his face, and Sailor Moon couldn't help but stare at those dark, brooding, mysterious eyes of his… but now was not the time or the place to be swooning over some guy, she reminded herself.

"I'm fine," Sailor Moon said.

"You should get to a hospital, that's a quite deep cut, and the venom will spread through your body and kill you if you don't do something about it," Tuxedo Kamen said.

"A hospital? Do you have any idea how bad of an idea that would be?" Sailor Moon asked. "Yeah, Tokyo's mysterious heroine parades into a hospital. And I don't test normal, either. I have mystical powers, and superhuman strength. They'd poke me and prod me, and my life would be ruined."

Tuxedo Kamen frowned as he thought that over. "We have to do something about your shoulder, and the cut on your side, if left alone the poison will kill you, even with your heightened healing powers."

"Give me a minute," Sailor Moon said. She closed her eyes, and accessed the power she felt stirring in her bones. She had recently learned that her tiara wasn't her only power. She had unparalleled power, which she could use simply by reaching inside of herself, and drawing it out. The only problem was it was connected directly to her energy source, and it left her feeling exhausted. Sailor Moon could tell she was only using a small amount of it, but she wasn't strong enough to access her full power yet. Sailor Moon felt a tingling in her side and shoulder, and knew it was working. After about a minute, Sailor Moon opened her eyes again, and collapsed onto her knees.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

"I'm fine," Sailor Moon said. "Or, I will be. The poison's all out of my system, I just healed myself."

"What about the cut?" Tuxedo Kamen said, still worried about her.

"It will heal fine now that the poison's out. I don't have enough energy to heal it as well."

Tuxedo Kamen was still worried, but he let it go. It was just starting to get light out, and Sailor Moon cursed under her breath.

"Crap, how can it be day already?" Sailor Moon got up. She turned around to thank Tuxedo Kamen for saving her life, but he was gone. Without a second glance, Sailor Moon ran back home, quickly de-transforming before running upstairs to her bed. She still had a couple hours before she had to get up for school; it was only just starting to get light. Without a second thought, Usagi collapsed into bed, not even bothering to change into her pajamas. She was asleep within seconds.

"Usagi!" Ikuko called from downstairs. "It's time to get up for school!"

Usagi grunted, wincing at her tender shoulder and side as she rolled over,

"Usagi, don't make me come up there!" Ikuko called again.

"Okay, I'm getting up," Usagi mumbled. She showered, carefully bandaged her shoulder and side so it wouldn't look like she had been hurt, and then got dressed. She ran downstairs, grabbed her bag and headed out the door. Usagi sprinted down the street, grimacing as the running pulled at her healing wounds. She wasn't looking where she was going, and crashed into another person.

"Baka, look where you're going!" Usagi shouted, as she looked up and saw it was Mamoru.

"Yeesh, Odango, maybe you should be more careful," Mamoru said. "You're the one that always crashes into me!"

"Yeah, whatever," Usagi said. "I'm late!"

She ran off, and Mamoru watched her go with curiosity. She was surprisingly fast, given her small size. Mamoru frowned as he noticed that she was limping a bit. He hoped she wasn't hurt. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he was slightly fond of her. Sure, he thought she was silly, annoying, and childish, but she always had a positive outlook on life. Well, almost always, Mamoru sometimes saw her sitting in the arcade, and he'd catch a glimpse on her face as though she had seen more than any fourteen-year-old girl should. Sometimes she'd look him in the eye, and he could see this deep weariness, this _pain_. It never lasted more than a second; she'd then start up her teasing, yelling at him and calling him a baka. It troubled him, though, that look in her eyes. Life had thrown so much crap at him, what with his parents dying, his amnesia of his past, and now is hard life doubling as a superhero, and he admired Usagi for being so positive. He wished he could stay that cheerful and positive, but it was beyond him.

Usagi burst into the classroom doors, almost fifteen minutes late for class. Ms. Haruna fixed Usagi with a glare.

"Would you care to explain why you are so late?"

"Sorry," Usagi said, bowing her head.

Ms. Haruna sighed. "Usagi, see me after class."

Usagi nodded and took her seat. Class went by slowly, but Usagi noticed there was a new girl in class, which piqued Usagi's interest.

After class was over, Usagi approached Ms. Haruna's desk. "You wanted to see me, Haruna-sensei?"

"Yes," Ms. Haruna said. "Usagi, high school entrance exams aren't that far off. Many students start studying their first year of junior high school, some even before. But it's now your second year, and I see no progress being made. Do you not care about getting into a good high school? Do you not care about having a future?"

'_What future?'_ Usagi thought. She knew she could never stop being Sailor Moon, it was the only future she could have. And she didn't really expect to live out her full life span; facing death every day was a pretty good way to shave several years off her life. But she didn't say any of this out loud.

"Of course I care about that, Haruna-sensei," Usagi replied instead.

"Then work harder," Ms. Haruna said. "Take this packet, it will be useful for studying. I expect you to turn it in by the end of the week, all finished. You may leave now."

Usagi gulped as she saw the packet Ms. Haruna handed her. It was thick, and full of worksheets with various assigned readings in her textbook. Even if she didn't lead a double life, it would be hard to get this done in one week. As it was, it would be nearly impossible. Usagi sighed. Yet another thing her secret identity messed up. Usagi found herself even missing her mother yelling at her about not doing her homework, instead of just shaking her head and sighing. Usagi left Ms. Haruna's classroom, and ran into the new girl.

"Oh, sorry!" Usagi said as she bumped into her. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No worries," the girl smiled.

"Hey, you're new here, right?"

"Yes, I just transferred schools," the girl answered.

"I'm Usagi Tsukino," Usagi said.

"Ami Mizuno," the girl replied, bowing slightly.

"Nice to meet you," Usagi said. "Don't worry, everyone here is really nice. Well, the students. I wish I could say that about the teachers. Beware Ms. Haruna, her mood changes depending on whether she has a date or not. It's insane."

Ami giggled a little bit behind her hand.

"I have to go," Usagi said. "Catch you later!"

The lunch bell rang, and Usagi ran outside to find Naru.

"Usagi!" Naru shouted, waving her arms. "Over here!"

"Hey Naru!" Usagi ran over to greet her friend.

"My mom's jewelry store is having this huge sale today," Naru said. "You should come by! It'll be really great."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Usagi said._ 'If I don't have to fight any youma's'_, she added silently to herself.

Naru and Usagi sat down and pulled out their lunches, happily chattering away.

"Hey, Ami!" Usagi called, seeing Ami sitting alone, reading a book. "Come join us!"

"That's the new girl," Naru said. "Do you know her? I've heard she's a total braniac, and thinks she's smarter than everyone else."

"She seems nice," Usagi said

Ami came over and joined them.

"Ami, this is Naru Osaka; Naru this is Ami Mizuno," Usagi introduced them.

"Nice to meet you," Ami said, bowing slightly respectfully.

"Hey. Naru was just telling me about this sale her mom's jewelry store is having today, you should come by and shop with us!" Usagi said, ignoring the looks Naru was shooting her.

"Oh, I don't know…" Ami said. "I have cram school."

"You go to more school after this school?" Usagi asked incredulously. "Why on earth would you do that?"

"Well, I need to study hard if I want to get into a good high school," Ami said.

Naru shot Usagi an I-told-you-so look.  
>"Yeesh," Usagi said. "That sounds so dull!"<p>

"I like studying," Ami admitted.

"Well, to each their own," Usagi said. "You should stop by anyways, if you have time."

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly, Naru warmed up to Ami, and by the time lunch was over they had gotten her to promise to quickly stop by the jewelry store after cram school.

"I'm home!" Usagi shouted as she walked in the door of her house.

"How was school today?" Ikuko asked.

"Boring," Usagi said. "Ms. Haruna was totally unfair and gave me this packet to finish by the end of the week."

"Well, your grades have been slipping quite a lot lately, Usagi," Ikuko said. "I don't think it's unfair of Ms. Haruna to want you to do more work."

"But still, I can't do it all in one week!" Usagi said. "Oh, by the way, Naru's mom's jewelry store is having a sale today, so we were going to head over there at some point."

"Not until you've finished your homework," Ikuko said.

"But mom!" Usagi whined. "I don't have time for it!"

"If you have time to shop, you have time to do your schoolwork."

"It's not fair! I'll never be able to go if I have to do my homework first!" Usagi complained.  
>"Listen, Usagi," Ikuko said. "I have been very patient with you lately, turning a blind eye when you disappear at all hours of the night, and come home with unexplained bruises and scratches. But it needs to stop. I don't know what you're involved in, but I won't stand for it. You were never a fantastic student, but I know you can succeed if you really try. You're a bright girl, Usagi, and I know that at fourteen you want to be popular, and fit in, and just have fun. But if you don't work hard to get into a good high school, you'll regret it later when you can't get a good job. So I think it's perfectly fair to ask you to finish your homework before you go shopping."<p>

"But you don't understand," Usagi said.

"I was fourteen once, too," Ikuko said. "Try me."

"I can't," Usagi said. "You really wouldn't understand. I know I've been falling behind in school lately, but there's just been so much going on in my life, and I can't deal. I've been trying, but please, just let me have fun with my friends, this one time. I'll do my homework, I swear, but I _need_ this, mom."

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Ikuko said. "I'm not backing down on this one."

"Ugh!" Usagi stormed off, trying to keep tears for falling. She felt bad for her parents, it must be hard trying to raise her. They didn't know what she was dealing with; all they knew was that she was doing badly in school, and snuck out all the time. They didn't know she was saving the world. Usagi was determined to go out with Naru, so she headed upstairs to try and do some of her homework.

An hour or two later, Usagi's communicator buzzed.

"Yes?" Usagi asked, waiting for Luna to tell her about some youma. "Where is it now?"

"The youma's at the Osaka jewelry store," Luna said. "Come quickly, I have some information for you as well, which I'd rather tell you in person."

"I'm on my way," Usagi said. At least now she had to go to the jewelry store. Maybe she could shop and bond with Ami and Naru after she dusted the youma.

Usagi knew her parents were downstairs, so she opened her window, and dropped down to the ground. Luckily the jewelry store was right downtown, so Usagi didn't have to go far. Right before she got to the store, she transformed, and then rushed off to find Luna.

"Sailor Moon!" Luna called. "There you are."

"What's the news, Luna?" Sailor Moon asked.

"I think I may have discovered one of the Dark Kingdom agents."

"Really?" Sailor Moon said. "That's great! So if I dust them, it has a bit more impact than the regular youma's?"

"Yes," Luna said. "The agents are the ones who serve directly under the ruler, ad control all of the youma attacks."

"So, who is it?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure if she's a dark agent or not," Luna admitted. "I'm getting very strange energy readings from her, but she may not be evil. Her name's Ami Mizuno, she just transferred to your school. Do you know her?"

"Ami?" Sailor Moon asked. "I just met her, but no way is she evil! You must be mistaken."

"Well, she could be another Sailor Senshi," Luna said. "It's hard to tell."

"Great, you can't tell friend from foe?" Sailor Moon complained. "So either I dust her, or I get her to help. Which one?"

"Just observe her," Luna said. "See how she acts. All I know is she's not entirely normal."

"Got it," Sailor Moon said. "Observe."

A scream from inside the jewelry store interrupted any further conversation.

Sailor Moon ran inside, ready to fight. A quick scan of the room proved that the youma was a relatively easy one, and that both Ami and Naru were in the room, and safe. A couple people lay unconscious on the ground, but most people were just scared.

"Over here!" Sailor Moon shouted. "I am Sailor Moon, the defender of love and justice! And in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

The youma rushed at her, and Sailor Moon effortlessly flipped over, avoiding the blow. The fight when on for a coupe minutes at a stale mate, with Sailor Moon dodging all of the youma's blows, but unable to land any herself. Just as Sailor Moon was about to land a hit, the youma jumped up, and Sailor Moon staggered, thrown off by her punch that didn't land anywhere.

"Crap, where'd it go?" Sailor Moon muttered to herself when the youma didn't come back down. Out of nowhere, the youma appeared and hit Sailor Moon hard, sending her flying across the room. Sailor Moon crashed through a jewelry display case, and lay there, unmoving, her head ringing from the blow, and the glass cutting into her skin.

The youma turned its attention to Ami next, picking her up and draining her energy. Luna, who had been watching Ami, noticed a strange symbol appear on her forehead. _'Ami is Sailor Mercury!'_ Luna realized. She leapt over, scratching the youma's arm until it let go of Ami. As soon as the youma was distracted, Luna turned back to Ami.

"Ami, take this and shout Mercury Power, Make Up!" Luna jumped up, and the Mercury power stick appeared.

"W-what?" Ami asked. "But… how did you do that? And how can you talk?"

"There's no time to explain, just do it!" Luna said.

Ami nodded, and took the power stick from Luna. "Mercury Power, Make Up!"

In a flash of bright lights, Ami was standing there in a Sailor fuku in blue similar to Usagi's.

"You need to distract the youma," Luna explained. "Shout 'Shabon Spray'!"

Mercury did so, and the room was enveloped in a cold, dense mist. Luna rushed over to where Sailor Moon was starting to get up.

"Are you all right?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sailor Moon said. "I hit my head a bit, but it's not a big deal."

"Is that the best you can do?" The youma asked. "Mist? Pathetic!"

"No, actually," Sailor Moon said. "_This_ is the best we can do." And she pulled off her tiara, and threw it at the youma, effectively turning it into dust.

"Well played, both of you," Luna said. "Now hurry, the police will be here soon and you don't want them to see you here."

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury left quietly, slipping out as the mist started to disperse, dropping their transformations.

"Wow," Ami said. "That was incredible."

"Tell me about it," Usagi said. "Takes some getting used to, eh?"

"I can't believe it…" Ami said. "How long have you been Sailor Moon?"

"Not very long," Usagi said. "Only a couple weeks."

"Wow," Ami said again.

"Well, welcome to the team!" Usagi said. "It'll be nice to have someone else around here."

**AN: Review and let me know what you think! :)**


	5. Math, Fire, and Other Troubling Things

**AN: Hi everyone! Sorry for the somewhat late update, so much has been going on lately. It's actually not even that late considering my usual standards, but I've been trying to make this fic go a little faster. :) A huge thanks to my reviewers from the past two chapters: Bonnie, sakanascales876, White Rose Fox, and James Birdsong. It makes me a little sad that I only got one review last chapter, especially since I got several author/story alerts/favorites. Although those are very nice, if you're reading this please take the time to review! I don't care how short it is, I just love hearing what people think of my work. :) Anyways, enjoy the chapter! It's an unusually long one, which is nice.**

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><p><strong><strong>Usagi walked dejectedly into the Crown Arcade, sitting down at the counter.

"Hey, Usagi-chan," Motoki said as he came out to greet her. "What's the matter?"

"Ugh," Usagi said. "Ms. Haruna is being totally unfair to me! I'm flunking math, and she has absolutely no sympathy for me! She says I'm not 'applying myself', whatever _that_ means."

"Maybe you should consider tutoring," Motoki suggested.

"Yeah, Ami-chan said she's meet me here to help with my math, but she's so busy with cram school it's hard to find times for her to tutor me."

"Hmm, that's too bad," Motoki said "I wish I could help, but math isn't my strong suit."

Just then, Ami burst through the doors, and walked over to where Usagi was sitting. It had been a couple weeks since they'd met, and they were now very close friends.

"Sorry I'm so late, Usagi-chan," Ami said. "I had to ask my teacher some questions after cram school."

"Nah, it's okay," Usagi said. "Hey, Motoki, can you bring me a chocolate milkshake? That should help my concentration."

"Sure thing," Motoki aid as he headed off into the kitchen.

"So, what aspect of math do you think you have the most trouble with?" Ami asked, opening up her textbook.

"Um… all of it?" Usagi said. "I don't know, the math part!"

"Well, it would help if you could pinpoint a particular section," Ami said. "That way we can focus on that."

"I don't know, Ami," Usagi moaned, putting her head on her hands. "It's just too hard! I'll never get into a good high school, and then my parents will hate me, and I'll have to live out on the streets and I'll waste my youth and beauty!"

"Usagi…" Ami shook her head.

Motoki came by with the chocolate milkshake, and Usagi perked up.

"Well, we need to start somewhere," Ami said. "Why don't I help you correct your latest test?"

Usagi pulled out her most recent test, a giant red F at the top of it. Ms. Haruna had also written on the side '10/100? STUDY HARDER!'

Ami stifled a giggle behind her hand. She knew Usagi was smart, but she just never applied herself in school.

"Let's see how you messed up on question one," Ami said. Ami looked at it, and winced. "Usagi, you know that 10 squared doesn't equal 20. Why did you write that down?"

Usagi shrugged. "I was tired! I had to take the test right after that really long fight in the park."

"I get tired, too," Ami said. "But it's not an excuse for putting down answers like that when you know they're wrong."

Usagi just shrugged again. Ami helped Usagi with her homework for a while longer, but they didn't make much progress.

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Ami said. " I have to go, there's this class at the University I've been planning to attend."

Usagi and Ami said their goodbyes, and Usagi slumped over the counter again, not feeling any better than she had earlier.

"It's hopeless, Motoki," Usagi whined when he came over. "I'll never pass math! Ami doesn't have any time to teach me."

"Hmm…" Motoki was thoughtful while he dried off some dishes. Suddenly, a truly evil, brilliant plan came to him. "Hey, I know! I'm not very good at math myself, but I have a friend who's really great at it. I'm sure he'd love to help you out. Why don't you come by here tomorrow after school? I'll get him to come by at the same time. He's a great tutor, he's helped me before many times."

"That sounds great!" Usagi said. The idea of math tutoring didn't excite her all that much, but it was better than flunking math. Usagi glanced up at the clock, and paled when she saw the time. "Ahh, I've got to run! My mom will kill me if I'm not home for dinner!"

Usagi ran out the door, bumping straight into The Baka, Mamoru.

"Argh, I have no time for this!" Usagi complained as she picked herself up off of the pavement. "Get out of my way, baka!"

Mamoru watched with a mixture of annoyance and amusement as Usagi sprinted off.

"The Odango sure is in a hurry," Mamoru said as he walked into the arcade.

"I wish you wouldn't call her that," Motoki said. "You know it annoys her so much."

Mamoru just grinned at his best friend.

"So, what brings you here?" Motoki asked. You don't usually stop by the arcade this time of day."

"Well, my physic class just ended, so now all there's left is finals. I thought I'd stop by to get some studying done," Mamoru said. "Speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to have any fresh brewed coffee, would you?"

Motoki scoffed. "Of course I do. I always keep fresh coffee on hand, you know that."

"Thanks, Motoki," Mamoru said as he sat down at the counter and opened his textbook. A few minutes later Motoki reappeared with a big mug of hot coffee, with no sugar and milk, just the way Mamoru liked it.

"Say, Mamoru," Motoki began. "There's this friend of mine who's been struggling in math lately. And I know that you're such a great tutor, so I was wondering if you could help out."

"I don't know," Mamoru said. "I'm so busy with my own studying, I don't know if I have time."

"Oh, c'mon," Motoki said. "Please, as a favor to me?"

Mamoru thought it over. "Well, I suppose I could."

"Great!" Motoki said enthusiastically. "I'm so glad."

"So, who's this friend of yours anyway?" Mamoru asked.

"Oh, um, no one," Motoki said. "I don't think you've met them."

Mamoru shrugged and turned back to his reading.

"Beeeep. Beep beep."

Usagi groaned and rolled over, hitting the snooze button on her alarm clock.

"Usagi, you'll be late for school if you don't get up," Luna said, scratching Usagi's arm.

"Great, sounds like a fabulous idea," Usagi said.

"Usagi get up right this instant! There's lots to be done today!" Luna said.

"Uh-oh," Usagi said. "I never like the sound of that. What sorts of things?"

"Well, I think I may have located another Senshi," Luna said.

"Really?" Usagi yawned. "Great. Who is it?"

"A young miko at the Hikawa shrine, named Rei Hino."

"Fabulous, let's go meet her, you can talk to her, and voila! Another Senshi joins the team," Usagi said.

"Well, it's not that simple," Luna said. "We need to investigate her first, to make sure she really is a Sailor Senshi."

"Fine," Usagi sighed.

"Usagi!" Ikuko called from downstairs. "Breakfast is on the table!"

Usagi hurriedly got dressed and rushed downstairs to grab some breakfast before she had to leave for school. Usagi had a quick bite of a pancake, before gathering her school supplies.

"Bye mom," Usagi called as she ran out the door.

"Have a good day at school, sweetheart!" Ikuko said. "Oh, and Usagi?"

"Yes mom?"

"I expect you to bring home better grades today, or else." Ikuko fixed her daughter with a withering stare.

"Uh, yes, of course mom," Usagi said.

She ran out the door, and down the street towards school. Usagi arrived in class right as the bell rang, making her only a little late. Thankfully, Ms. Haruna had a date that evening, so the school day passed quite easily. After school Usagi headed over to the arcade for her math tutoring. She was as ready as she was ever going to be.

"Hi Motoki-onii-san!" Usagi called as she walked in the door.

"Hey Usagi!" Motoki said, waving at her.

Usagi walked over to her usual place at the counter, only to find that The Baka was sitting there.

"Ugh, what's he doing here?" Usagi whined.

"This is a public place, you know," Motoki said.

Usagi sat down on the stool gingerly, carefully avoiding accidentally brushing arms, or anything like that.

"I'll have my usual," Usagi said to Motoki.

Motoki came out a moment late with her chocolate shake in hand.

"You know, that's really not very healthy," Mamoru said. "All you'll get is fat if you drink that all the time."

Usagi stuck her tongue out at him. "Chocolate is perfectly healthy! Anything that tastes so good must be good for you. Unlike that disgusting black sludge you have."

"It's called coffee, Odango," Mamoru replied. "But I guess you're too stupid to know of anything that isn't in your immediate circle."

"Hey!" Usagi cried. "I'm not stupid, you baka! I _know_ what coffee is. All I'm saying is it can't be nearly as good as the chocolate frothiness _I'm_ having."

Mamoru turned back to his reading, and Usagi pulled her math textbook out of her bag.

Mamoru gasped, clutching his chest. "The Odango, _studying?_ Is this… is this possible? Am I dreaming? Motoki, quick! Pinch me to make sure this isn't an alternate reality where the Odango isn't a brainless ditz!"

"I may be a ditz, but at least I have a life!" Usagi said. "I have friends and family, whereas I bet no one likes you with that cold, black heart of yours! So there!"

Usagi stuck her tongue out at him.

"But really, _you_, study?" Mamoru asked.

"For your information, I'm getting tutoring in math," Usagi said.

"Yeah, I'll bet you need it desperately," Mamoru said. "And I sure do feel sorry for the poor bastard who…"

Mamoru stopped mid-sentence. "Tutoring in math, you say?"

"Yes, why?" Usagi asked, puzzled by Mamoru's expression. "And why are _your_ math books out? Do you study for fun?"

"I'm tutoring someone in math," Mamoru said.

"But wait a second…" Usagi said. Suddenly, she stopped, and both Mamoru and Usagi turned to look at each other with horrified expressions.

"MOTOKI!" They both shouted at the same time as Motoki hurried back into the kitchen.

"You wanted me to tutor the Odango?" Mamoru said. "You know that's hopeless! She's too much of a ditz to teach!"

"You expect me to be tutored by _him?_" Usagi said. "That baka is so infuriating, I refuse! I'd rather flunk math!"

"Now, now," Motoki said, slowly reappearing. "Just calm down a bit…"

"Calm down? I'm sorry, but I am _not_ tutoring her!" Mamoru said, packing up his books to leave.

"Wait, Mamoru!" Motoki said. "You promised, remember? Are you really going to break a promise to your best friend?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't do it," Mamoru said. "You're asking the impossible."

"I… I won't let you have free coffee anymore!" Motoki said.

Mamoru hesitated. He relied on Motoki for free coffee. He drank so much coffee, and a couple of dollars per cup really added up. Maybe tutoring Odango Atama wouldn't be entirely bad…

"Alright, fine," Mamoru said. "I'll give it a try."

"Well, it doesn't matter because I'm not," Usagi said. "I'm sure Ami can find time to tutor me."

"Aw, c'mon Usagi," Motoki pleaded. "Please, just give it a try? Each time you come for tutoring I'll give you a free milkshake."

Usagi was very tempted by that. She didn't get much allowance money, and most of it got spent on Sailor V games. Plus, free milkshakes would not only mean more milkshakes, but more money for Sailor V… surely she could withstand The Baka for milkshakes and Sailor V.

"Oh, fine," Usagi said.

"Excellent!" Motoki said, clapping his hands. Motoki watched with glee as Mamoru and Usagi reluctantly started working on Usagi's math homework. He was glad his plan was working out. Underneath all of the teasing and insults, Motoki was sure that Usagi and Mamoru liked each other. All they needed was a little push in the right direction, and surely they'd realize it, too. Spending an hour together every day after school was the perfect idea! Motoki was positive that in no time they'd be admitting their feelings to each other.

After her afternoon study session with Mamoru, Usagi left the arcade in low spirits. She couldn't believe that Motoki had set them up like that! She and Mamoru had spent the entire time arguing, and Usagi felt like her math skills hadn't improved one bit.

Usagi was on her way home when she ran into Luna, who looked annoyed.

"Usagi! Where have you been?" Luna demanded. "I told you we have things to do today!"

"Sorry, I was at the arcade," Usagi said. "I didn't realize it was urgent."

"You need to stop spending all of your time there," Luna chided. "You have duties as a Sailor Senshi; duties which cannot be ignored."

"I wasn't wasting my time, for your information," Usagi said. "I was getting tutoring in math."

"Well, I'm glad you're finally working towards applying yourself more in school," Luna said. "Now let's go!"

"Go where?" Usagi asked, jogging after Luna who had sprinted off.

"We're going to the Hikawa shrine, like I told you this morning," Luna said. "Something strange has been going on, and I think the young miko that works there might be a Senshi." Luna paused for a minute. "Or she could be the enemy, I'm not quite sure."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Why is it that you never can tell?"

"The information I get is very vague," Luna said. "It's hard to figure out sometimes. Besides, I have virtually no memory of my past life, so I have to go by little else than intuition."

"I still think the difference between friend and foe should be different enough that you can tell," Usagi said. "But whatever. What's been going on at the Hikawa shrine?"

"There's been some weird thing about buses disappearing. It sounds supernatural, and when I stopped by, I picked up on some very odd energy vibes."

"Sounds creepy," Usagi said. "But I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Nope, you don't," Luna said. "So you'd better get used to it. It's your duty—"

"It's my duty as a Sailor Senshi to fight for truth and justice, and banish all evil from this planet," Usagi recited. "Blah blah blah, I've heard it all before."

"It doesn't stop it from being true," Luna said.

"Yeah, whatever," Usagi said. "Enough with the talking. What's our plan?"

"Visit the shrine and see if the shrine miko knows anything."

"Got it," Usagi said. "I've been meaning to go there for awhile now. They sell all sorts of charms, and apparently the love one really works!"

Luna just shook her head. She figured it was too much to ask for Usagi to be all business. As long as she wasn't running away from the youma, or refusing to fight, Luna was happy.

Usagi pulled out her communicator, and called up Ami.

"Usagi? What is it?" Ami asked as she answered.

"There's some sort of weird thing going on at the Hikawa shrine," Usagi said. "Luna wants us to investigate."

"I'm on my way."

The shrine wasn't too far away, so within about 15 minutes, Luna and Usagi were climbing the stairs to the courtyard of the shrine. Ami was already there, and Usagi waved her over.

"Hello hello!" An old man wearing the traditional shrine robes appeared. "What can I do for you pretty ladies? Perhaps I can interest you in some charms? We have good luck charms, love charms, charms to help you on tests, charms for every occasion!"

"No, thanks I think we're—" Ami started to say before she was interrupted by Usagi.

"Ooh, I'd love to get a love charm!" Usagi seemed to instantly forget that they were there for duty. "Do they really work? How much are they?"

"Oh yes, they work very well," the old man said. "And they're for the low, low price of $4.50!"

"Hm… that sounds wonderful, but I already spent my allowance…" Usagi fretted.

"Grandpa!" A girl around Usagi and Ami's age appeared, holding a broom. "Are you bothering the customers again?"

"No, he's fine," Ami said.

"Well, can I help you with anything? I'm Rei Hino, by the way, I work here."

"I think we're goo-" Ami was once again cut off by Usagi.

"Say, do you know anything about the buses disappearing?" Usagi asked. "It sure seems weird that they'd just disappear."

Rei's eyes narrowed. "Just because the buses have been disappearing near the temple doesn't mean it's connected to us! I'm so tired of people asking nosy questions and acting as if we're guilty just because we have a different way of life and the buses disappeared nearby. We're not involved at all!"

"Of course not," Ami said, smiling slightly nervously and pushing Usagi along. "We didn't mean to offend; we'll be going now."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Luna turned on Usagi.

"Usagi, what were you thinking accusing her like that?" Luna asked. "We were supposed to quietly investigate, not make accusations at the first people we see."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Usagi said. "I just meant it as an innocent question; how was I supposed to know she'd take it so personally? Maybe she is involved, her reaction seemed guilty."

"I don't know," Luna said. "I don't think so, I was studying her closely, and I think she's a member of our team."

"But how can you be sure?" Usagi asked. "Just a little while ago you said it was hard to distinguish friend from foe!"

"Yes, it is sometimes," Luna said. "But I am quite confident that Rei Hino is Sailor Mars for many reasons. For one thing, her life reflects so much on her Senshi personality already, which makes it easier. For you two it wasn't as obvious right away. But Rei Hino has a fiery temper, which the Senshi of Mars is renowned for, and she has a connection to the spirit world, which is another trait of Sailor Mars. And she's definitely not an ordinary girl, her general aura isn't right."

"Well, whatever you say," Usagi said. "What do we do now?"

"We should examine the buses themselves," Ami said. "That's the only sure why to find what is going on."

"That's a good idea, Ami," Luna agreed. "Before we go, I want to talk to Rei Hino. I think it's time to awaken her powers as Sailor Mars."

Just as they were about to turn back to the shrine, they heard a scream come from that direction. Usagi and Ami ran up the stairs, and seeing the youma there, quickly transformed.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shouted, and a chilling mist settled over the grounds.

Meanwhile, Luna had run off to find Rei.

"What's going on?" Rei came out of the shrine, looking around at the mist.

"Rei, I must speak to you," Luna said.

Rei looked around for who was speaking, trying to find someone other than the cat.

"Please, it's urgent," Luna said.

"But… you talk," Rei said.

"Yes, I know I talk," Luna said, sounding annoyed. "Get over it. The point is, you are a Sailor Senshi; a warrior chosen by destiny to fight the forces of evil and save the world from destruction."

"Wait, what?" Rei asked. "Me? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am entirely positive," Luna said. "Take this stick and shout Mars Power Make-Up! It will unlock the power within you." Luna handed over the Mars power stick.

"Alright… Mars Power, Make-Up!" Rei shouted, and transformed.

"There's no time to waste," Luna said. "Sailors Mercury and Moon are already battling the youma, a servant of the Dark Kingdom. You must go help them."

Sailor Mars took off running, heading towards where she heard the sounds of battle. She spotted the youma through the mist, looking for the Sailor Senshi. Now that she had transformed, she instinctively knew what to do.

"Fire Soul!" A fireball shot through her fingers and hit the youma dead on.

Sailor Mercury and Moon looked over in surprise at the new member to their team.

"So, you must be Sailor Mars," Sailor Moon said. "It will be nice to have another person helping out."

"No time for chatting, we're in the middle of battle," Mercury said. "Fight now, talk later!"

"Right," Sailor Moon nodded. With the youma distracted by Mercury's mist and injured by Mars' fire, it was time for her to finish it off.

"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon shouted, sending her tiara flying at the youma and effectively turning it into dust.

In the distance, Tuxedo Kamen watched the fight from a tree. He smiled slightly to himself before turning and leaving. It looked like they hadn't needed his help in this fight; they took care of it themselves.

Sailors Mercury, Moon and Mars dropped their transformations and relaxed, the battle was done.

"I'm exhausted," Usagi said. "Let's go to the Crown Arcade for milkshakes!"

Rei and Ami agreed that it sounded like a good idea. Luna said she had some work she needed to do, so she left them, and the three girls walked to the Crown Arcade.

By the time they got there they were all starving, so they decided to get a full lunch.

"Hi, Usagi," Motoki greeted her as they walked in the door. "Hi, Ami."

Ami nodded and smiled politely at Motoki, but Usagi jumped up and down, waving at him.

"Motoki-onii-san!" She shouted. "Meet my new friend, Rei. She works at the Hikawa shrine."

"Nice to meet you," Motoki said. "I'm Motoki Furuhata, my parents own this place."

"Rei Hino," Rei said, bowing slightly to Motoki. "My grandfather owns the Hikawa shrine."

"It's a lovely place," Motoki said. "I've been there a couple times; very beautiful."

"Thank you," Rei said. "My grandfather and I work hard to keep it that way."

The girls said their goodbyes to Motoki and went to sit in a booth by the window. A few minutes later Motoki reappeared with menus for the girls.

"Hmm…" Usagi said, looking over the menu. "Everything looks so good! I can't decide!"

"Well, I'm getting the grilled chicken panini," Rei said, "It sounds delicious."

Ami and Usagi were still looking over the menus when Motoki came by.

"What can I get you?" He asked, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen.

"I'll have a grilled chicken panini and iced tea," Rei said.

"What kind of iced tea?" Motoki asked.

"Black teas, thanks," Rei said.

"I'll have a caesar salad, please," Ami said.

"Usagi?" Motoki turned to her.

"Um… hmm… okay, I'll get a burger with fries and a chocolate milkshake," Usagi said, finally deciding.

"Got it," Motoki said, heading off to the kitchen to prepare the food.

"A burger and a milkshake?" Rei said. "That's really not very healthy, you know."

Usagi stuck her tongue out at her. "What I eat is none of your business!"

Rei stuck out her tongue right back at Usagi. "Well, when you get fat from eating like that, don't come running to me!"

"What do you mean _when_ I get fat?" Usagi said. "I'm not going to get fat!"

"You will if you only eat burgers, fries and milkshakes," Rei said.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," Usagi said, sticking out her tongue again.

Rei retaliated, and Ami just shook her head and sighed, pulling out a book form her bag so she wouldn't have to listen to them argue. Usagi found it odd that she was arguing with a girl she'd only just met, but somehow it felt as if she'd known Rei forever. The same went for Ami. Maybe being linked by the supernatural gave them a strong, unique bond.

Just then Motoki came by with their food, and Rei and Usagi stopped arguing.

"So," Rei said, once Motoki was out of earshot. "About this whole Senshi thing… how does it work?"

"What did Luna tell you?" Ami asked.

"Not much, she just said I was a warrior chosen by destiny to fight evil and destroy the Dark Kingdom. Who or what exactly is the Dark Kingdom?"

"Well, it's a bit complicated," Ami said. "We don't know much about them. We know that they are very powerful, and aim to take over the Earth. The youma that we encountered today, and all of the youmas we fight are servants to the Dark Kingdom. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to locate their headquarters, and even if we could, we're not nearly powerful enough. Battling one youma is tough on us, and they are the lowest, least powerful part pf the Dark Kingdom. Luna has told us that we need to find the rest of the Sailor Senshi, and most importantly, the princess, and only then can we take on the Dark Kingdom. We will need excessive training."

"Princess?" Rei asked. "What princess?"

"We all used to live on the moon, in a past life," Ami explained. "I myself have only very small fragments of memories, and although Luna remembers a bit more, it's quite vague. We lived happily on the moon, under the rule of a kind and gentle queen, Queen Serenity. She had a daughter about our age who was in training to take over her mother's rule. We were here attendants, but also her friends. We ourselves were princesses from our respective planets."

"Wait, if Usagi is Sailor Moon, and we were all princesses, and we're searching for a mysterious princess who lived on the moon, wouldn't Usagi be the princess?" Rei asked.

"Nah, the princess is someone else," Usagi said. "Luna said that she doesn't remember much about me in our past lives. I don't know where I was from, or if I was even a princess, or a Senshi back then. I suppose I must have been, otherwise why would I have been reincarnated as Sailor Moon? I don't remember hardly anything from back then, but I know I was there."

"Hmm," Rei thought this over as she sipped her iced tea. "So, how many other Senshi are there?"

"Luna said that there's two other main Senshi, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus. But there might be more out there, she's not sure," Ami said.

Once Rei was satisfied with the information she was given, the girls changed the subject to a lighter topic, and turned their attention to their delicious food. A little while later, they were waving goodbye to Motoki as they existed the Arcade.

As soon as they were outside, Luna ran up to them.

"We must head to the bus stop near the shrine immediately," Luna said.

"What is it?" Ami asked.

"Another bus has disappeared. We must go investigate quickly."

"Of course," Ami said.

They ran towards the bus stop and got there just as a bus was pulling up.

"Come on, you must get on!" Luna said when Usagi stated backing away. "Rei and Usagi, you two get on the bus, Ami, you stay here for watch duty. I want to be prepared in case the enemy attacks while Rei and Usagi are on the bus."

Rei and Ami agreed, and Usagi reluctantly got on the bus as well.

"This is scary," Usagi complained. The bus doors closed, and the bus drove for a couple of feet before rising up into the air. Usagi screamed, and clutched Rei for support.

A hole in the air opened up, and the bus went through it, disappearing. All of the passengers on the bus except for Usagi and Rei passed out.

"Where are we?" Usagi said.

"I don't know, but this calls for Senshi business," Rei said, pulling out her transformation stick.

"Right," Usagi said, calling out her transformation. A flash of bright lights and a few minutes later, Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon were standing there. They rushed off the bus, not noticing that the driving of the bus was rapidly transforming, and no longer looked human.

Once outside the bus, Sailor Mars and Moon looked around. They had little to go on, but it seemed like they were in some sort of other dimension. Suddenly, a noise from behind startled Mars and Moon, and they turned around to see a youma standing there.

"Duck!" Sailor Mars yelled as a razor-sharp disc flew at them. They just barely missed it, as it shaved a couple hairs off the top of Sailor Moon's head.

"That was close," Sailor Moon said.

"Yeah, a little _too_ close," Mars said. She turned to the youma. "I'm sick of you already! Fire Soul!"

Mars shot the fire at the youma, but it was too quick for her, and dodged it.

"Damn it!" Mars said.

The youma attacked again, and this time Sailor Moon couldn't get out of the way quite fast enough. The disc brushed her leg, creating a deep gash.

"Ow!" Sailor Moon cried, clutching her leg.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars cried. She tried attacking the youma again, but it was still moving too quickly. "Damn it all!"

Sailor Moon was preparing to attack again, when she heard the _whoosh_ of displaced air. She opened her eyes in time to see another disc flying straight towards her, and there was no time to duck. Just when Sailor Moon thought all hope was lost, she found herself being picked up and carried away. She turned around and saw Tuxedo Kamen looking down at her with concern. He brought her to the top of one of the buses, where they were safe from the youma for a moment.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "That's quite a nasty cut you've got."

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Sailor Moon said, brushing it off even thought it was extremely painful. She had gotten used to blocking the pain as best as she could, she couldn't stop in the middle of battle to heal herself.

Tuxedo Kamen frowned. "You're limping, and you look like you're in pain. I don't call that 'fine.'"

Sailor Moon gave a weak smile. "I never said I was, I just said I will be."

Tuxedo Kamen's frown deepened, and although Sailor Moon was touched, there was no time.

"Really, don't worry about me, I need to get back in the fight," Sailor Moon said. "I can't leave Mars out there all by herself."

Tuxedo Kamen looked like he was about to protest, but Sailor Moon was already leaping off the bus to go distract the youma that was attacking Sailor Mars.

"Oi! You! Over here!" Sailor Moon shouted.

The youma turned around, and sent a flying disc towards Sailor Moon. This time she was prepared, and ducked properly.

"You know," Sailor Moon said conversationally. "That's the third time you've tried to kill me, and you cut my leg pretty badly. I am not in a good mood right now. In fact, I'm quite angry. And you don't want to see me when I'm angry."

The youma didn't look at all impressed, but Sailor Moon didn't care. Behind the youma, Sailor Mars was sneaking up behind it, getting ready to attack.

"Fire Soul!" This time Mars' fire hit its mark. The youma screamed in pain, and Sailor Moon took that as her cue.

"Moon Tiara Magic!" The tiara hit the youma, which was still screaming in agony, and it dissolved into a pile of dust.

"Are you okay?" Sailor Mars asked. "That cut looks pretty bad."

Now that the youma was gone, Sailor Moon could properly inspect it. Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Mars were right, it was a big, ugly gash, which was bleeding profusely.

Sailor Moon sighed. She was exhausted from the fight, but she couldn't leave the cut unhealed. Spreading her fingers over it, she prepared to heal it. She was just calling up the power within her when she felt someone gently pull her hand away.

"Allow me," Tuxedo Kamen said. "You've already exerted yourself too much."

He put his hand on Sailor Moon's leg, and she felt a tingly sensation in her leg as the wound began to heal. A couple minutes later, it was all healed.

"Thank you," Sailor Moon said, and smiled at him.

"Um… guys?" Mars asked. "We need to hurry out of here."

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen looked up at the hole between the dimensions, which was rapidly closing,

"Oh no!" Sailor Moon shouted. "We need to get everyone out of here!"

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars started to panic as the hole closed. It was very nearly completely closed, when a light shone through. The light spread, opening up the hole until it was wide again.

When Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars turned around, Tuxedo Kamen was standing in one of the buses, which had somehow been all connected.

"All aboard," he said.

"How did you do that?" Sailor Moon asked. "How did you manage to connect the buses like that?"

"Magic," Tuxedo Kamen said, winking at her.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars quickly boarded the bus, and they took off into the air. As soon as they were out of the other dimension, Sailor Moon let out a huge breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She wasn't really sure they could leave until she saw the blue sky of the normal world. Kneeling on the ground by the hole was Sailor Mercury, clutching her transformation stick, which was producing the ray of light. As soon as she saw that everyone was out safe, she got up to hug her friends.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" She said. "I got so worried when the hole started to close."

"We're fine," Sailor Moon said, smiling at her friend.

Sailor Moon turned around to thank Tuxedo Kamen again, but he'd disappeared. Sailor Moon thought about the way he'd looked when she hurt herself. He'd looked so concerned, concerned for her! Sailor Moon knew it was probably silly to think that it meant anything, after all, he was just a mysterious guy who fought on the same side as them, and always swooped in to save her and had such smoldering eyes…. Sailor Moon shook herself out of her thoughts. She was being ridiculous, he was only worried because he was a good guy. But still, she worried that she cared for him too much. He was handsome, and charming, but she knew very little about him, and you could never be too careful.

**AN: Please review! Also, if anyone is wondering what the occasional Japanese words I throw in mean, here they are.  
>Odango Atama means 'Dumpling Head', and is the equivalent of the English dub's Meatball Head. In the sub of the anime, Mamoru generally just calls her Odango, which means dumpling.<br>When Usagi greets Motoki, the onii-san ending means 'big brother'. She often uses that to refer to him in the show, and I like it, because I think that's what their relationship is like- siblings. **


	6. Now It Gets Serious

**AN: Yay, another chapter is up! :) I have to do a little bit of shameless self promotion here... if you're enjoying this story (which, of course I really hope you are) then please check out my other multi-chapter Sailor Moon fic, Darkness Is Relative. Just because it's complete doesn't mean I don't care about reviews anymore! ^_^  
>Anyways, thanks as always to my reviewers from last chapter, <span>PSVT<span>, and sakanascales876. And I'll stop complaining about reviews, and just accept what I've got. But, nonetheless, please do review, and enjoy the chapter! **

**DISCLAIMER: I hate to say it, but... just because I neglect to put these things in doesn't make Sailor Moon mine. :(**

* * *

><p>"Fire Soul!" A giant fireball erupted from Mars' fingers, and headed towards the youma they were currently fighting. The youma barely flinched.<p>

"Damn it!" Sailor Mars said, cursing. "I can't hold it off for much longer! Sailor Moon, finish it off already!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Sailor Moon said. "It's not exactly easy channeling this much energy! I don't know if I can do it."

"Well, try a little harder!" Sailor Mars shouted, dodging a blow from the youma, and sending more fire its way.

"Okay, fine," Sailor Moon grumbled. She had already tried to throw the tiara couple times before, with no success. She barely had enough strength left to stay upright, much less dust a youma. But she had to try. "Moon Tiara Magic!"

"Fire Soul!" Mars' fire and Sailor Moon's tiara combined together in mid-air, and the combination finally killed the youma.

Sailor Moon swayed unsteadily before giving in to the blackness of unconsciousness.

"Damn it, there's no time for fainting spells!" Mars yelled, giving Sailor Moon a hard slap across the cheek.

"Ow!" Sailor Moon said, waking up. "That was mean!"

"You can't faint every time we finish a battle," Mars said.

"Easy for you to say!" Moon shouted back at her. "You just throw a little fire here, a little heat there, and there's no repercussions! I'm the one with the most power; I have to do all the work! It's not my fault that my power is connected directly to my energy!"

"If you were only a bit stronger, then it wouldn't matter!" Mars said. "And what do you mean, you do all the work? Mercury and I distract and weaken the youma, and then you just do a fancy little toss of your tiara, and poof the youma's dead!"

Sailor Moon opened her mouth to retaliate, but Mercury stopped her.

"You guys!" She said angrily. "Stop this ridiculous fighting! I know the fights are getting harder, but that means we have to be a stronger team. We'll never win if we argue with each other and blame. I know the stress of it all, and the late nights are hard, but you can't go on like this!"

"Mercury's right," Luna said. "It's been several weeks since we discovered Sailor Mars, and there's no sign of another Senshi. We need to fight harder, and continue searching for the remaining Senshi and the Princess. The enemy will win if you two don't stop your petty quarrels."

Sailor Moon sighed, blowing her bangs out of her face. She knew Luna and Mercury were right. The stress was getting to her, and causing her to lash out at those closest to her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I know that I couldn't fight these youma without the help of you and Mercury."

"I'm sorry, too," Mars said. "I shouldn't have been so harsh on you, I know it's hard to channel that much energy."

"Well, now that it's all settled, you'd best be getting home," Luna said. "It's daybreak already, and school is starting in only a couple hours."

Sailor Moon groaned. "Don't remind me! I haven't had any time to study; Ms. Haruna's going to kill me! And then I'll get the same lecture from Mamoru at our study session this afternoon. He's always so hard on me, it's not fair! I get enough from my parents and Ms. Haruna!"

The girls waved goodbye, dropped their transformations, and headed to their respective homes. Usagi was looking forward to a couple hours of hard-earned sleep, and her soft bed, but all of those thoughts flew out of her head when she arrived at her house. The lights were on in the kitchen, which was bad. Very bad. Her parents never got up that early, they should be asleep for at least another hour or two. Usagi snuck up to her front door, hesitantly pushing it open.

"And just where do you think you've been, young lady?" Ikuko demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Oh… you're awake," Usagi said. "Um… what are you doing up so early?"

"I heard a commotion coming from your room, but when I went to investigate, you weren't there!" Kenji said. "How do you explain this?"

Usagi cursed her creaky window, and her own clumsiness. She hadn't wanted to sneak past her parent's room, for fear of waking them up, so she'd jumped out the window instead. But the window was old and creaky, and Usagi was half asleep, so she had slipped, and landed with a loud thud.

"Well?" Ikuko asked, when Usagi still didn't say anything.

"I was… out," Usagi said lamely.

"Out doing _what_?"

"Uh… taking a midnight stroll?" Usagi said, but it came out sounding like a question. "I couldn't sleep, and wanted some fresh air, so—"

"Usagi Tsukino, don't you dare lie to me. You have never once in your life had trouble sleeping, or gotten up in the middle of a night for a walk!" Ikuko said. "We have been worried sick about you! Lately your behavior has gotten worse and worse, and I won't tolerate it any more! Your already poor grades are slipping, you're out all hours of the night doing who knows what, and you come home looking tired as hell with bruises and cuts everywhere!"

"Mom, you don't understand—" Usagi started to say.

"You're right, I sure as hell don't understand! I have been lenient, and patient, but I am sick of it! It's obvious you've fallen in with the wrong crowd, and I won't stand for it! Starting today I want to see a drastic change in your behavior. No more afternoons at the arcade, you will come home right after school. The only exception will be for the tutoring you're receiving in math, but if I find any hint that you're abusing that freedom, then I will take it away. Your father or I will help you with your homework if necessary, and once you've finished it all, then maybe you can go out for a bit. But none of these new friends I've been seeing lately, I want you to spend more time with Naru, or Umino, or any of your school friends like you used to. And I will make sure you don't sneak out any more at night, even if it means locking your doors and windows! I am at the end of my rope Usagi, and this is the most I can take. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't understand," Usagi said. "You don't get it! You can't forbid me from doing all of this, it's not fair!"

"I'm sorry, but until I see a change in your behavior, this is how it will be," Ikuko said.

"But mom, you just _don't get it_!" Usagi yelled. She wished she could tell her mom, but if her mom knew it would only endanger her.

"Then enlighten me, Usagi," Ikuko said. "What is it that has made you change so much these past few months?"

"I can't," Usagi said, shaking her head as tears began to fall. "I just can't! I wish I could, but I _can't_! I wish I could make it stop, just wish it all away, get rid of all the crap I've had to deal with lately, _but I can't_! I can't make it stop, I can't control it, I can't tell you, I can't do anything!"

"But why?" Ikuko said. "What is it that you're doing that you can't tell me? What is so bad that you can't stop? You can always stop, because you always have a choice."

"But I don't, mom," Usagi said, smiling sadly as the tears came faster. "That's the thing. I have no choice at all. Trying to stop would only hurt people, including myself. Believe me when I say I wish I could! I would give anything to give it up, make it stop, just go back to how things were before, but I just can't!"

"Usagi…" Ikuko shook her head. "I give up. Apparently I can't make you tell me. But if you ever want to explain why it's so unfair for me to demand a change in your behavior, then I'm here. Until then, I expect you to abide to the rules I've set."

Usagi ran off to her room, the tears turning into rough, broken sobs. She just wished she could tell her parents. She missed being the Usagi they knew, the Usagi she used to be. She missed only having to worry about passing school, and whether Motoki would ever return her feelings. She missed not having the weight of the world on her shoulders, or having to fight to protect the entire world on a daily basis. She missed being whiny, lazy, crybaby Usagi. But she's grown up since then, and even if she ever stopped being Sailor Moon, her life had changed.

The next day at school passed relatively uneventfully. Usagi barely made it through the day without falling asleep, but that wasn't new. All that really happened was Usagi got yelled at by Ms. Haruna for being late and not doing her homework, Usagi failed the latest quiz, the usual. Usagi was seriously considering skipping her tutoring session that afternoon, because she didn't want to have to put up with Mamoru, but she knew it wasn't a good idea. It would only make the next tutoring session that much worse. If there were a contest for the most annoying, bossiest person in the world, it would be a tough call between Rei and Mamoru. They both called her Odango, yelled at her when she was late, and seemed to think that she should be perfect. Although, as much as Usagi hated to admit it, her grades had been improving with Mamoru's help. So Usagi reluctantly walked into the arcade, Mamoru already sitting at the counter.

"You're late, Odango," Mamoru complained.

"I can't help it, Ms. Haruna gave me detention," Usagi said. "It's not my fault."

Mamoru just shook his head. "Well, let's get to work."

Usagi pulled her homework out of her bag, mostly untouched. She'd done a bit in detention, but she just didn't understand it.

"I don't get it," Usagi whined. "It says 3x (6+8) divided by 2 = 1, 764. Solve for x."

"Well, remember what I showed you last week?" Mamoru said. "About setting up the equations?"

"No," Usagi said.

Mamoru sighed. "Usagi, you need to pay better attention, I'm trying to help you here."

"I know, but it's just so hard!" Usagi said. "And why doesn't it matter what x equals? It's not like I'll ever apply this in real life."

"Actually, math is an important part of everyday life," Mamoru said, but Usagi glared at him, shutting him up.

"Just tell me what to do," Usagi moaned.

"All right," Mamoru said. "Do you remember the order of operations?"

"Um… sort of? It's like… parentheses… division… multiplication, addition… exponents, and then subtraction?" Usagi guessed.

"Well… you got the beginning and the end right," Mamoru said, trying to make her feel a little better.

"It's hopeless!" Usagi complained. "I'll never understand math!"

"It's simple," Mamoru said. "Parentheses, exponents, multiplication or division, addition or subtraction."

"Or?" Usagi questioned. "So even you're not sure what it is? Some help you are."

Mamoru hid a smile. "No, it's or because multiplication and division, and subtraction and addition as well, are interchangeable."

"Oh," Usagi said. "Well, that's great and all, but how do I solve the problem?"

"Following the order of operations, which part do you have to do first?" Mamoru asked.

"The parentheses," Usagi said. "So, 6+8, which equals…" Usagi pulled out her calculator, but Mamoru stopped her.

"Usagi, I know you can do that without a calculator," he said. "6 + 8 is easy."

"Fine, 14," Usagi said.

"Great, so now your equation is 3x (14) divided by 2 = 1,764. What next?" Mamoru said.

"Exponents," Usagi said. "But there aren't any, so multiplication or division?"

"Correct," Mamoru said, smiling at her.

"So, 14 divided by 2?" Usagi asked.

"No, you want to do it left to right," Mamoru said. "So 3x multiplied by 14."

"So, um…" Usagi took a sip of the milkshake Motoki had brought her. "40? Or, wait, 42. Right?"

"Exactly," Mamoru said. "42x divided by 2 = 1, 764. Now what?"

"Let's see… 42 divided by 2 is 21… so x equals 21?" Usagi said,

"Not quite," Mamoru said. "There's one more step you need to do. You have to get x by itself."

"Right, so I divide each side by 21!" Usagi said. "Um, so that's… 80… 84! Right? x = 84!"

"Yes, and to check your work, plug it back into the equation," Mamoru said.

"So, 3(84) (6+8) divided by 2 = 1,764. 3(84) (14) divided by 2 = 1,764… so, um…" Usagi took a sip of her milkshake while she worked on the problem, and Mamoru just sat back and watched Usagi figure it out.

"Aha!" Usagi said. "252 (14) divided by 2 = 1,764, so then 252 (14) equals 3000… um… 3,528, so 3,528 divided by two is… 1,764! Perfect!"

"Great job, Usagi," Mamoru said. "See, math isn't as hard as you think it is."

"Well, thank you for helping me," Usagi said, smiling at him.

They stayed like that for a moment, just smiling at each other, and gazing into each other's eyes, when suddenly the spell was broken. They jumped apart, and Mamoru cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Right, well, you're welcome, Odango," Mamoru said.

Usagi rolled her eyes, but she didn't yell at him for calling her Odango. She would never, ever, in a million years admit it, but… being called Odango wasn't that annoying anymore. Sure, she wished he'd call her Usagi, and not make fun of her hair, but it had become a bit of an endearing nickname, instead of an obnoxious one.

"Anyways, I still need to fill out the rest of this sheet," Usagi said, gesturing to her math homework.

The rest of their tutoring session went by quite quickly, since the other problems were easier. Usagi found herself laughing with Mamoru has he tried to think up silly ways to help her remember various tips and tricks, and before she knew it, it was time for her to go home for dinner.

"See you later, Odango," Mamoru called as Usagi walked out the door.

Usagi scrunched up her face at the nickname, and stuck out her tongue. "Later, baka!"

By the time Usagi got home, she was in a relatively good mood. She'd actually had a bit of fun at the Arcade, and she really felt like her math skills were improving.

"How was school today, Usagi?" Ikuko asked as Usagi put her bag down by the door.

"Oh, it was fine," Usagi said. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Well, if you're hungry I made some spaghetti with meatballs, it's on the table," Ikuko said.

"Uh, great, thanks mom," Usagi said. She was glad to have some food, but her mom was acting oddly. They'd had a huge fight that morning, and Ikuko generally didn't let things like that slide so easily. Besides, she hadn't even asked about Usagi's score on her math test.

"Anyways," Ikuko continued. "I suppose I overreacted a bit this morning, so I'm sorry. It's just that it worries me, Usagi, when you stay out at all hours of the night, and come home all beat up. I wish you would tell me what's going on so I could help, but I guess for now the best I can do is have dinner waiting on the table for you when you get home."

Usagi smiled. She was glad her mom wasn't going to stay mad at her forever.

"By the way, how did you do on the test?" Ikuko asked.

Usagi winced. She had been hoping to get away form that question. "Um… I did okay."

"What does okay mean?" Ikuko asked.

"Well… I got a B- in the English and Social Studies section!" Usagi said.

"And for the other sections?" Ikuko asked.

"Well, Science I got a C, and for Math I um… failed," Usagi said.

"Usagi, how hard is it for you to try a little harder?" Ikuko asked. "I don't ask for perfection from you, all I ask is that you put in some effort and at least pass."

"I'm sorry, I'm trying," Usagi said. "Really, I am. But I hate Algebra."

Ikuko sighed. "Well, I can't force you to do better in school. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold."

Usagi happily obliged, and sat down to her food. She was about halfway done with dinner, when her communicator buzzed. Usagi groaned, and opened it to find Ami on the other side of the line,

"There's a youma in the park," Ami said. Usagi could hear the sounds of fighting in the distance. "Rei and I have it under control for now, but we need your help."

Usagi sighed, she was looking forward to a quiet evening, but of course, luck wasn't on her side. When was it ever?

"I'm on my way," she said. Usagi looked around frantically, wondering where her mom went. She was just debating whether or not she should tell her mom she was leaving or not, when Ikuko walked into the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Ikuko asked, watching Usagi rush around the room, clearing her plate.

"Um… nowhere," Usagi said. She decided it was best not to tell her mom, and get in trouble when she got back.

"I heard you on the phone a minute ago," Ikuko said. "You said you were on your way. On your way where?"

"Well, I promised Ami and Rei I'd meet up with them," Usagi said.

"Not until you've finished your homework," Ikuko said.

"Well, it's study group," Usagi said, thinking up a lie on the spot. "So finishing my homework beforehand would be a bit pointless."

"Usagi, ever since you started hanging out with those two, the trouble has increased," Ikuko said. "You can study at home."

"But mom!" Usagi complained. "I promised them!"

"Well, call them and say you can't come," Ikuko said.

"I can't!" Usagi said. "I'm sorry, mom, but I'm going."

Usagi ran out the door before her mother could stop her.

"Usagi! Get back here!" Ikuko shouted after her.

Usagi sprinted as fast as she could, stopping only for a second to transform. She reached the park in record time, barely out of breath.

"So, what's the deal?" Sailor Moon asked, dodging a laser beam from the youma. The laser hit the tree behind her, and it erupted into flames.

"Well, as you can tell, it shoots lasers which are intensely hot," Sailor Mercury said. "They are deadly, so be on your guard. It's smart, it seems to anticipate our next move, but it's slow-moving."

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shouted.

"Fire Soul!" Mars sent a flaming ball towards the youma, but it sidestepped it. Mars cursed under her breath.

"Wait, I have an idea," Sailor Moon said. "Mercury, go to the youma's right, and distract it. Mars, go to the left of it, and attack it until something hits. The second it's weak enough, I'll finish it off."

Sailor Mercury and Mars nodded, and ran off to either side of the youma.

"Over here!" Mercury shouted. The youma turned to look at her. "I'm the one you want to be attacking."

The youma was properly distracted, and was about to fire at Mercury, but when Mars stepped in.

"Fire Soul!" She cried, and this time it hit the youma straight on. It howled in agony, and Sailor Moon pulled out her tiara, finishing it off.

"Well, that wasn't too hard," Sailor Moon said when they were finished.

From behind her, a voice cackled. The Sailor Senshi turned around to see a man's face in the sky.

"Nice job," he said, his voice mocking. "It seems I underestimated you, you took care of that youma quite easily."

"Who are you?" Sailor Mars demanded.

"I am Jadeite of the Dark Kingdom," he said. "I serve Queen Beryl herself."

"Are we supposed to be impressed by that?" Mars asked. "'Cause really, you don't look much tougher than that youma we just dusted."

Jadeite laughed. "Well, I have no time for idle chit-chat, there's work to be done. See you later, Sailor Senshi. That is… if you survive." Jadeite tossed a handful of small, exploding grenades, cackling as he disappeared.

"Look out!" Mercury cried as the grenades fell on them. They exploded all around the Senshi, causing small fires where they hit on the grass.

"Is everyone all right?" Mercury asked, once the attack was over.

"I'm fine," Sailor Moon said. "A little cut up, but fine."

"That asshole!" Mars cursed, shaking her fist at the sky where Jadeite had disappeared. "Who does he think he is?"

"We should be on our guard," Mercury said. "Now that he's shown himself, it must mean that the Dark Kingdom thinks us a more serious threat."

Just then, Sailor Moon's communicator buzzed. Opening it up, she found Luna on the other side.

"Girls, we have some things to discuss," Luna said. "Meet me at the Hikawa Shrine. Come as soon as you can."

"Got it," Sailor Moon said, closing her communicator.

"Come on, let's go," Mercury said. "Whatever Luna wants, it must be serious."

Sailor Mercury stood up, brushing off the bits of soot and grass that clung to her.

"Ow!" Sailor Moon cried as she tried to get up, collapsing back on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Mars asked.

"I must have hurt my ankle," Sailor Moon said. "I can't stand up, it won't support you."

"Here, let's get you to the shrine," Mars said, helping Sailor Moon up. "Lean on me, I'll help you walk."

"Thanks, Mars," Sailor Moon said, smiling gratefully.

They got to the shrine a little while later, having dropped their transformations before heading out.

"You're late," Luna said,

"Sorry, Usagi hurt her ankle, so we couldn't go very fast," Rei said.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked Usagi.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Usagi said, sinking down on the ground. "I must have twisted it or something. Anyways, what did you need us here for?"

"Well, first of all, I have some new items for you," Luna said, producing two things from mid-air. "Ami, use this computer to find out information on the enemy."

"Are you sure I should have it?" Ami asked. "After all, Usagi is the leader."

"No, it has the symbol of Mercury on it," Luna said. "Besides, you're best with computers. It's not just a computer, however, it will track the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, and tell you what you need to know to defeat it."

Ami accepted the computer, tucking it into her bag.

"And for you, Usagi, there's this." Luna handed over a small, ornate pen.

"What's this do?" Usagi asked.

"It's a transforming device," Luna said. "I fear that the enemy is progressing past simple youmas, and moving on to bigger plans. With this pen, you can transform yourself into anyone, and go undercover to find out more about the enemy."

"Cool," Usagi said, looking the pen over.

"Is that all you wanted us for?" Ami asked.

"No," Luna said. "We need to strategize. From what I've gathered, a new enemy, named Jadeite is either about to appear, or may already have."

"Yeah, he showed up when we were fighting that youma earlier," Usagi said.

"I did some research, and he's one of the Four Generals of the Dark Kingdom. He controls the youmas you've been fighting, and now that he's appeared, I fear it will no longer be easy fights," Luna said.

"Since when was it ever easy?" Usagi grumbled, but Luna ignored her.

"Anyways, what I'm saying is you girls need to train harder so you can be prepared for anyt—"

Just then, a loud crash from outside the shrine cut Luna off. A scream pierced the air.

**AN: Review, please! :)**


	7. Thunder and Evil Plotting

**AN: 'Ello! Sorry about the delay in update, I was in London (!) for a week, and then... well, then I don't really have much of an excuse. :P But, anyways! Here is a chapter now, and although it's a bit shorter than they've been lately, I hope you will still enjoy. :) Thanks a billion to Tenshi-Chikyuu, sakanscales876, Comet Jim, and Starrlight1812 for the lovely reviews! :) As always, please review, and enjoy!**

Rei, Ami and Luna rushed outside while Usagi struggled to stand up. Out in the courtyard of the shrine, a young man was sprawled on the ground, sitting in a large puddle with some broken pottery around him, while Rei's grandfather stood above him, waving a broom threateningly.

"Grandpa!" Rei cried. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Rei," he said, looking surprised to see her there. "I hired this young man, Yuichiro, to help out in the shrine. I was teaching him to carry these jugs of water to the nearby river to be purified, but he was lagging, so I hit him with the broom, and he fell!"

Rei sighed. "Grandpa, you can't do that."

"Why not?" He demanded. "It's my shrine!"

"Yes, but hitting people with brooms while they carry large jugs of water isn't the proper why to treat an apprentice to the shrine," Rei said. She turned to Yuichiro, and bowed respectfully. "I'm sorry if my grandfather hurt you, his practices are a bit… odd, sometimes."

Yuichiro was just staring at Rei. "Uh… um…. I mean, no problem!"

"Well, come on," Rei said to Ami. "We should get back to our meeting."

They walked back into the house, with Luna following.

"What was that all about?" Usagi asked as they came in.

"Just my grandfather being crazy," Rei said. "I can't believe he hit that poor guy with the broom! He always talks about building up endurance and how working at the shrine is hard work, but hitting people isn't the way to build up endurance!"

"Well, I'm glad it wasn't a youma," Usagi said. "I don't think I could fight with my ankle like this."

"Let's get back to our meeting," Luna said. "I want to take you girls to a quiet, secluded spot somewhere so you can train. I think another Senshi will appear soon, I've been told to be on the lookout."

"Yeah, I thought so, too," Rei said. "The fire's been giving me odd readings lately."

"So, how do we find this new Senshi?" Usagi asked. "We can't just wait around for her to appear."

"I'm afraid that's basically what we have to do," Luna admitted. "I can tell if she's nearby, because she will give off different energy readings, like all of you do. But I can't really track her down very well."

"Well, we'll work with what we've got," Ami said. I'm afraid I'll have to leave the meeting now, if that's all right. I have an extra study session at cram school today, since semi-finals are coming up."

"We're done here, anyways," Luna said. "Let's go, Usagi, you don't want your parents to worry about you. You've been gone for several hours."

Usagi sighed. "Worry about me? Yeah right. They'll just bite my head off when I get home. But I guess I can't stay away forever."

Usagi grabbed the back of a nearby chair, trying to pull herself up.

"Wait, before you go," Rei said. "Wait here for a minute. You should really have your ankle wrapped, or else it will be easier for you to injure it more. Besides, wrapping it will keep it a bit more stable."

Rei turned and left the room, returning several minutes later with a first aid box.

"Your ankle is probably sprained," Rei said. She took hold of Usagi's ankle, and placed it on her lap, prodding carefully at various locations. "Yep, it's sprained. Just as I thought." She took out a long roll of elastic bandages, and proceeded to wrap up Usagi's ankle deftly, cutting off the excess bandage, and securing it with a clip.

"There you go," Rei said. "That should be a little better. But be careful you still don't put much weight on it!"

"Thank you, Rei," Usagi smiled at her. Standing up carefully, Usagi found that it was much easier to stand now. It was still painful, and she had to limp a bit, but it was doable. "Say, Rei, how do you know all of this anyway?"

Rei rolled her eyes. "This is things they teach you in Health class, dummy. If you paid attention in school you'd know this, too."

"Hey!" Usagi said. "I'm not a dummy!"

"Baka!" Rei shouted, sticking out her tongue at Usagi.

"Meanie!" Usagi retaliated, doing the same.

Luna sighed and shook her head. "Stop it, girls, this is ridiculous."

Usagi shot one last glare at Rei before turning around and half stomping, half limping out the door.

After having taken a bus back to the center of town, Usagi was at her doorstep. She hesitated a moment before pushing it open, dreading her parent's reaction. Sure enough, Ikuko was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a cookbook, just waiting for Usagi to come home. She didn't even bother turning around.

"And where have you been?" Ikuko asked, but she didn't sound mad. Not really. She sounded more… disappointed. And that was what really made Usagi feel guilty.

"I'm sorry, mama," Usagi said, hanging her head. She didn't even offer any false explanation or excuse.

Ikuko sighed. "You worry me, Usagi. But I don't want this to ruin our relationship. There's dinner on the stove for you, and when you're done, I expect you to do any homework you didn't at your study group."

"Thanks, mama," Usagi said, grabbing a plate and putting some dinner on it.

Ikuko got up to put away the cookbook, and noticed Usagi limping. "Usagi, what happened to your ankle?"

"Oh, I uh… tripped. Yeah, I tripped while walking to study group at Rei's. Clumsy old me," Usagi said, trying to laugh it off a bit.

Ikuko frowned. "Usagi, you need to be more careful. At least it's wrapped up, that will help."

"It's not that bad," Usagi reassured her. "I just had a bit of a fall."

Ikuko still looked worried, but she finished putting away the cookbook, and left the kitchen.

Usagi sighed as she limped around the kitchen getting her dinner. She could technically use her powers and heal it, but she didn't want to. It took a lot out of her to do even small things, and something like a sprained ankle wasn't nearly as severe as some of the wounds she suffered in battle. And she never knew when she might need to fight again, so she should reserve her strength. Usagi glanced into the other room, where Ikuko had gone. She was glad her mother hadn't been too mad at her. She loved her parents dearly, and she hated making them mad, or disappointing them, but she couldn't tell them about her secret. For her sake and for theirs.

Bright and early the next morning, Usagi's alarm went off. Ugh. Time for school. Usagi hadn't done much of her homework; Ms. Haruna was going to _murder_ her. She rolled over in bed, slowly getting up, checked the clock, and screamed.

"Auugghh!" Usagi yelled. "I'm late! How could I be late already?"

She threw on her school uniform and rushed downstairs, grabbing a piece of toast before sprinting out the door. She ran down the sidewalk at breakneck speed, arriving to school in record time. She slid into the classroom right as the late bell was ringing.

Ms. Haruna glared at her, putting her hands on her hips. "All right, class, first things first. I'll be coming around to collect homework, so pleas have it out on your desk."

Usagi gulped and slid a little lower into her seat. By the time Ms. Haruna got to Usagi's desk, she had almost slid completely under the desk.

"Well, Usagi?" Ms. Haruna asked impatiently. "Do I have homework from you or not?"

"Um… I sort of forgot it," Usagi whispered.

"What was that?" Ms. Haruna asked. "I didn't hear you!"

"I said, um… no," Usagi said, speaking a little louder this time.

"Get out," Ms. Haruna said, pointing towards the door. "And see me after class."

Usagi gathered up her books and slunk outside, standing against the wall of the classroom. It seemed like more often than not she was getting in trouble at school. She'd always been a bad student, but not _this_ bad. Leading a double life sure had its problems. Usagi waited for Ms. Haruna to tell her to come back in. Usually, she didn't make her wait too long, but it depended on her mood. And her date for the evening, or lack thereof. So she waited… and waited… and waited some more… after what seemed like an eternity, the lunch bell rang, and she was free.

"Naru!" Usagi said, waving over her best friend when she cam out of the classroom.

"Hey, Usagi," Naru said, running over to her friend. "Ms. Haruna sure was harsh today."

"I know!" Usagi complained. "It was so unfair! She's always unfair to me!"

Naru stifled a giggle behind her hand. "She wouldn't be so hard on you if you did your homework, arrived on time, and paid attention, Usagi."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Usagi said, waving Naru off. "Hey, Naru, who's that?"

Usagi pointed towards a girl she hadn't seen at school before, walking all alone up ahead.

"He name is Makoto Kino," Umino informed them, popping up behind Naru and Usagi.

"Ah!" Usagi jumped a bit, startled. "Where did you come from, Umino?"

"Anyways," Umino continued. "She just transferred here. I hear she got kicked out of her last school!"

"Really?" Usagi asked, intrigued. They were outside now, and Usagi could see the new girl, Makoto, sit down on the low brick wall bordering the courtyard. "For what?"

"For fighting!" Umino said. "Rumor has it she's quite violent."

'Sounds scary," Naru said. "Hey, Usagi, where are you going?"

Usagi had wandered off towards where Makoto was sitting, and was now crawling along the brick wall behind Makoto.

"Did you want something?" Makoto asked, annoyed.

"Oh!" Usagi blushed, embarrassed to have been caught sneaking up on her. "I just wanted to say hi."

Usagi suddenly noticed the lunch Makoto had with her; it was stuffed with vegetables, assorted fish, rice, mochi and steamed rice balls with seaweed. It was the most beautiful bento box Usagi had ever seen, and her stomach began to rumble. "Those steamed rice balls look amazing!"

"Do you want one?" Makoto asked.

"Really?" Usagi said, popping over the wall to sit down next to Makoto.

"Sure, there's too much for me to eat anyways."

"Wow!" Usagi said, taking the rice ball from Makoto's hand. It was delicious. "Your mom's an amazing cook!"

"Actually, I made this," Makoto said.

"Really? That's so cool!" Usagi said. "I'm Usagi Tsukino, by the way."

"Makoto Kino."

"I know," Usagi said. "Everyone at school is talking about."

Makoto looked surprised.

"Oh!" Usagi blushed again. "I mean, they're just curious since you're new."

Makoto laughed. "It's okay. I know rumors have spread about me getting kicked out of school for fighting."

"Well, is it true?" Usagi asked.

"It's true," Makoto said. "But I'm not a dangerous person, I promise."

"I never thought you were," Usagi said.

"Well, some people certainly think so," Makoto said.

"Say… could I have some of that mochi?" Usagi asked.

Makoto laughed again, and pushed the box over to Usgai. "Sure, help yourself."

The lunch bell rang, and Usagi and Makoto returned to class. The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully, as did Usagi's tutoring session with Mamoru. Finally, Usagi returned home, tired, and annoyed at Mamoru for making fun of her yet again. She hoped tomorrow would be less tiresome.

The next day, Usagi was woken up unpleasantly early by Luna scratching her arm.

"Usagi, you need to get up!" Luna said. "Hurry, a youma's appeared!"

Usagi groaned, rolling over and checked the clock. It was 5:30 AM. Well, at least the youma had been courteous enough to let her get _some_ sleep.

"I'm getting up," she mumbled sleepily. She quickly threw on some clothes, and ran out the door. Suddenly, her communicator buzzed, and Sailor Mars appeared on the other line.

"Usagi, you baka, get your butt down her! We need your help!" Sailor Mars yelled.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Usagi whined. "I just woke up!"

"Well, hurry up!" Sailor Mars said, before cutting the connection.

Usagi picked up the pace a bit, and before long she was at the park. Quickly hiding behind a tree, she yelled out her transformation. As soon as it was done, Sailor Moon emerged from the cover of the trees, ready for battle.

The youma had been attacking a girl around Sailor Moon's age, but now its attention had been turned to Mars and Mercury.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury called out, sending a fog towards the enemy.

"Good, you're here," Mars said. "We need your help, we can't hold the enemy off for much longer."

Before Sailor Moon could say anything, the girl who had been targeted by the youma before yelled out. As they ran through the fog, Sailor Moon realized that the girl was Makoto, and when she arrived she could see her trade blows with the youma, before hoisting it up, spinning it around and then tossing it aside. On her forehead, the symbol of Jupiter glowed.

"She's appeared!" Luna said. Quickly pulling out the Jupiter Power stick, she ran over to Makoto.

"Take this, quickly, and shout Jupiter Power!" Luna said.

"What?" Makoto said. "A talking cat?"

"No time for questions, just do it!" Luna said.

So with a shrug, Makoto took the stick, called out the words and transformed into Sailor Jupiter.

"Fire Soul!" Mars attacked the youma which was now regaining its footing, but it barely affected it.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out, instinctively knowing what to do. The lightning hit the youma dead on, and it screamed in agony before turning into a pile of dust.

"Welcome to the team, Makoto!" Sailor Moon said.

"Thanks, Usagi," Jupiter said, smiling at her. Now that she was a Sailor Senshi herself, she could see through the glamour that kept the Senshi's identities a secret.

The Sailor Senshi dropped their transformations before any reporters came, and headed towards the Crown Arcade, which would be opening soon. It was a little past 7, and the Arcade opened at 7:30. Thankfully, it was Saturday, so they didn't have to worry about school. They walked to the arcade, happily chatting away, and getting to know Makoto.

Far, far away in the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite plotted his next move. Those pesky Senshi had defeated another of his youma, plus added another member to their team, and Queen Beryl was not pleased. Not in the slightest. Jadeite clenched his fist. He would find out the identities of the Senshi, and defeat them once and for all. Or die trying.

**AN: Vais-je obtenir plus de commentaires si je demande en français? ;-)**


	8. The Fall of Jadeite

**AN: Ack, sorry about the delay in update! I was suffering from a bit of writer's block, and I also just felt more inspired to write my other Sailor Moon story. :P Speaking of which, I do have to do a bit of shameless self-promotion... I'm also currently working on another Sailor Moon story, called A Life Once Forgotten. It takes place during the Silver Millenium, and is about (what else?) Serenity and Endymion's relationship. If you've been enjoying this story, which I'm hoping/assuming you have been (you have made it this far, after all) pleeaaasse go check out my other story! Anyways, thanks a million to my reviewers of last chapter: Fire Dolphin, and Slytherite. Seeing as reviews are the only form of payment I get for this, please review!**

**DISCLAIMER: Just because I sometimes forgot it, doesn't mean I own Sailor Moon. :'(**

* * *

><p>Far away, in another dimension, Jadeite stood waiting in a dank corridor. He had just gotten back from the fight where another Sailor Senshi had appeared. He knew Queen Beryl would want to see him, but he was putting off the inevitable. He would go when summoned, but hopefully it would take her a moment before that happened. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side.<p>

"Queen Beryl wants to see you," Nephrite said, appearing in front of Jadeite.

Jadeite glared at his fellow Shitennou, hating the all-knowing smirk on Nephrite's face.

Jadeite pushed himself off of the wall, and walked off towards the throne room, where Queen Beryl resided.

"You wanted to see me, Queen Beryl-sama?" Jadeite asked when he got there, bowing before her.

"Yes," Queen Beryl said. "Jadeite, please explain why all of your attempts to gather energy have failed. Not to mention that there are now four Sailor Senshi. Give me a reason why I shouldn't dispose of you right here and now."

Jadeite flinched. "Please, Queen Beryl-sama, I promise I can succeed, just give me another chance. I have a plan, a plan which will destroy the Senshi once and for all."

"And what is this plan?" Queen Beryl asked, her cold eyes staring down at Jadeite.

"I will lure them into a trap," Jadeite explained. "I will challenge them to a duel, telling them if they do not accept, I will burn down the city. Once they are there, I feel confident that I can win."

"Hmm…" Queen Beryl said. "Very well, you may proceed. But be warned, Jadeite. This is your last chance. If you do not succeed at this, you will be sentenced to Eternal Sleep."

"Yes, Queen Beryl-sama," Jadeite said, bowing again, his fists clenched at his sides. He had to succeed at this. Failure was not an option anymore.

"Come on, Makoto!" Usagi called, grabbing her friend's hand, and pulling her towards the Arcade.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Makoto said, laughing. For someone so small, Usagi sure was strong.

"I can't believe you've never been to the Arcade!" Usagi said.

"I only just moved into town," Makoto reminded Usagi. "I used to live a little ways out of town."

"But still!" Usagi said. "The Arcade is the best place in town. It has all the best games, and the newest Sailor V game, plus Motoki makes the best chocolate milkshakes _ever_."

"Who's Motoki?" Makoto asked.

"His father owns the place," Usagi explained. "But he mainly runs it."

They were at the Arcade now, and the doors slid open, revealing the interior to Makoto.

"Motoki-onii-san!" Usagi cried, waving as she spotted him behind the counter.

"Hey, Usa-chan!" Motoki called back. "Who's your friend?"

"Motoki, this is Makoto Kino. She recently moved into town. Makoto, this is Motoki Furuhata. Like I told you, his father owns this place."

"He looks like my old boyfriend," Makoto said dreamily. "I knew a guy who looked just like him…"

"Hello? Makoto?" Usagi said, waving a hand in front of her friend's face.

"Right," Makoto said, snapping out of it. "It's very nice to meet you, Motoki-san."

"Nice to meet you as well," Motoki said. "So, your usual today, Usagi?"

"Yes, please!" Usagi said, bouncing up and down. She was happy today. It was the weekend, so there was no school, and she'd just made a new friend in Makoto, and with another Senshi on the team things would be a little easier.

Usagi pulled Makoto over to the arcade games, and put in money to play the latest Sailor V game. Motoki came by a few minutes later, and handed Usagi her chocolate milkshake. Makoto was watching over her shoulder, and giving her advice on how to defeat the boss. In that moment, life was perfect. In that one, golden moment, Usagi forgot. She forgot that she was Sailor Moon, protector of the Earth, and that the future of it rested on her shoulders. She forgot that her life would never be the same again, or that she would soon have to fight again, arriving home with bruises and cuts. She forgot the look her mama always gave her, and how it broke her heart not to be able to tell her who she really was. In that moment she was just ditzy, clumsy Usagi Tsukino, average 15-year-old girl.

"Oh no!" Usagi screamed, frantically pushing at the buttons, but it was too late. The words game over flashed onto the screen, and she slumped into her seat.

The bell over the door chimed, and Usagi and Makoto looked up, seeing who was walking in. As soon as Usagi saw who it was, she scowled,

"Hey, Motoki!" Mamoru called, walking over towards the counter.

"Mamoru!" Motoki said.

"Who's that?" Makoto asked, staring dreamily at Mamoru. "He's so handsome… reminds me of an old boyfriend I had…"

"Don't bother," Usagi said. "He's a total jerk."

"Hey, Odango," Mamoru said, spotting her and Makoto. "Shouldn't you be studying, instead of playing games?"

"Go away, baka," Usagi said. "I'll have you know that I'm doing _fine_ in school, thank you very much."

She gathered up her bags, and stormed out of the Arcade, Makoto following.

"I can't believe the nerve of him!" Usagi said. "Insulting me like that!"

"Very rude," Makoto agreed, but she was holding back a smile. She suspected Usagi secretly liked this Mamoru.

Usagi was about to say something else, when her communicator buzzed.

"Where are you?" Rei yelled, appearing on screen. "We were supposed to have a meeting half an hour ago!"

"Oh no!" Usagi said. "I totally forgot!"

"Well, get your lazy butt over to the shrine, NOW!" Rei said, disconnecting.

"Come on, Makoto, we were supposed to have a Senshi meeting," Usagi said.

They ran down the street towards the bus stop, and 10 minutes later, they were at the shrine.

"Sorry I'm late," Usagi said, as she slid down next to Ami.

"I called you here, because you need to train," Luna said. "Makoto is new to the team, and the rest of you could use some training as well. Although today I want to focus on improving your magical abilities as Senshi, I want you to improve your strength and agility as well. The enemy has gotten more determined, and if we want to defeat them, we need to be prepared. Now, transform, and we can get to work."

The girls shouted out their transformations, and in a few minutes the Sailor Senshi were standing there.

"Excellent," Luna said. "Now, let's get started."

Luna led them out of the shrine, to a small forested area about 15 minutes away.

"All right," Luna said, once they arrived. "Sailor Moon, I want you to work on putting more energy into your tiara attack. Mars, practice making your fire stronger. Mercury, see if you can turn your fog into an offensive attack. Jupiter, practice your lightning, get used what it feels like, and practice making it stronger."

The girls nodded, and set off to work. Sailor Moon pulled off her tiara, and focused all of her energy into making it more powerful. She let it go, sending it spinning into the nearest tree, slicing through it easily.

"More energy," Luna said.

Mars shot a fireball towards a different tree, and Mercury sent her fog towards it, trying to put it out.

"Try and make your fog have a higher water content," Luna said.

Mercury focused all her energy on it, and the fog turned into water, and she successfully put the tree out.

"Excellent, Mercury," Luna said.

Jupiter was practicing increasing the power of her lightning, when the sky turned dark, and Jadeite appeared in the sky.

"To all the Sailor Senshi," he said. "Meet me tomorrow at dusk, at the airport. If not, I will burn the city to the ground."

As if to emphasize his point, the illusion of Jadeite dropped bombs all over the city, causing the city to go up in flames. In a minute the illusion was gone, but the image still stuck in the Senshi's mind.

"Come, let's go back to the shrine," Luna said after a moment.

The Senshi dropped their transformations, and walked back to the shrine.

"Well, we have to show up, obviously," Rei said, once they were back at the shrine.

"But what if it's a trap?" Mercury said. "It seems too risky."

"Even if it is a trap, we can manage," Makoto said, cracking her knuckles. "We can fry this guy, no problem."

"What do you think, Usagi?" Luna asked.

"We should go," Usagi said. "It might be risky, but it's our duty to protect not just this city, but this planet. I wouldn't take his threat lightly."

"Good," Luna said. "I'm glad you're finally starting to show a little responsibility, Usagi. I think you girls have had enough training for now."

The girls got up to leave, and the meeting ended.

The next day, Usagi awoke feeling nervous. She was unsure about the big showdown with Jadeite that night. She knew they had no choice other than to go, but something didn't seem right to her. Nevertheless, she got ready for school, and brushed the feeling off. With the combined effort of her, Makoto, Ami, and Rei, they could defeat Jadeite.

"Usagi!" Ikuko said, as Usagi came downstairs. "You're up early. It's not even 7:30 yet."

Usagi shrugged. "Just couldn't sleep, I guess."

Ikuko frowned. "Couldn't sleep? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, mama," Usagi said, but Ikuko wasn't convinced. Usagi had been changing a lot these past few months, and she didn't like it. Her daughter seemed to have gained some maturity, but she would be out at all hours of the night, and when she got in, she'd be bruised and bleeding, exhausted. Kenji had turned a blind eye to it, but Ikuko couldn't. She had long since stopped arguing with Usagi, as that obviously produced no effects, but she still worried about her daughter.

"Well, I made pancakes," Ikuko said. "Chocolate chip."

"Thanks, mama," Usagi said, pulling out a plate. She wasn't especially hungry, but she should but she should build her stamina for the fight later.

Breakfast passed in silence, and Usagi gathered her school belongings together, and headed out the door, for once on time.

She walked down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, enjoying the people milling about. She fought hard, every single night, to protect them. And they had no idea. Sure, they'd probably heard of Sailor Moon, mysterious superhero, but they didn't really know. They didn't know what she had to go through, or that the powerful and brave Sailor Moon was really just a teenage girl, who up until a few months ago, was a total air headed ditz, without a care in the world. She kind of liked it that way, honestly. These people, all of these wonderful people, had no clue how many times she had saved their lives. The one person she vaguely wished knew about her was Mamoru. She smirked, imagining his reaction if he found out she was the superhero Sailor Moon. Maybe he'd finally stop calling her Odango Atama, or calling her stupid, or otherwise insulting her. Usagi picked up he pace a bit, so she could get to school on time. She knew that Mamoru knowing about her secret identity would actually be a very bad thing, but it was fun to fantasize about.

When Usagi arrived at school, lots of people were discussing the man who had appeared in the sky last night.

"Hey, Usagi!" Naru called, waving her friend over. "Did you see what happened last night? This man appeared in the sky, threatening to burn down all of Tokyo if the Sailor Senshi didn't come to the airport! I sure hope they got the message."

"Yeah, me too," Usagi said.

"I want to go to the airport tonight to see what happens," Eri, one of Usagi's classmates, said.

"You shouldn't," Usagi said. "It will be dangerous!"

"But it'll be exciting!" Eri said.

Usagi was about to say something in return, but Ms. Haruna arrived, and it was time to start class. The school day passed in a blur, as her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't keep from worrying about the upcoming fight. She hardly remembered anything from the day, and before long, the final bell was ringing.

The girls all met up at the Shrine, and in a few hours it was time to go to the airport.

"Well, it's now or never," Rei said.

"Ready?" Makoto asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Usagi replied.

They all walked to the subway station, only to find it deserted, except for one train. They got into the train, and it took off, taking them to the airport.

"This is kinda creepy," Usagi said.

"This is no time to be scared, Usagi," Ami said. "We need all our strength and courage to defeat Jadeite."

They were soon at the airport, and they got out.

"It's… empty," Rei said in surprise. Because of the threat, they had learned that police would be there.

"Come on, we need to transform," Ami said.

They shouted out their transformations, and just in time. As they walked further into the airport, they saw a large group of policemen come towards them.

"Why are they attacking us?" Sailor Moon wailed, as she dodged an attack from one.

"They must be brainwashed or something," Makoto said.

"Damn it, I can't fight them, they're just people!" Rei said, irritated.

"Wait a minute…" Mercury said. She pulled out her computer, and started tapping furiously away. "They're not! They're replicas, made from clay."

"Well then," Mars said. "Fire Soul!"

The policemen which had been attacking them all burst into flames, giving the girls a chance to run away.

They ran outside, and discovered Jadeite waiting for them.

"Fire Soul!" Mars said, getting right down to business.

Jadeite easily dodged it, just laughing. "You think that can hurt me? Pathetic. Take this!"

He shot dark energy at them, and they just narrowly missed it by ducking.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shouted, and the fog provided at least a little shelter.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter shouted, spying Jadeite, but he dodged again.

"You think you're so strong," he laughed. "But you'll never defeat me."

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon sent her tiara flying towards Jadeite, but even that didn't work.

"Even you can't hurt me, Sailor Moon," Jadeite paused for a moment, laughing. "Or should I say Usagi Tsukino?"

Sailor Moon gasped. How did he find out?

"Now that I know your identity, it will be so much easier to kill you," he said. "All of you. Take this!"  
>He sent two planes straight towards the Senshi, at alarmingly fast speed.<p>

"Run!" Mars said, grabbing Sailor Moon's hand, and yanking her out of the way. But the planes simply changed direction, and continued to follow them.

"How are we supposed to outrun _planes_?" Sailor Moon cried.

"Well, just keep running!" Mars said.

The planes were getting closer and closer, when suddenly they stopped.

Sailor Moon turned around, and saw a red rose had struck Jadeite.

"Tuxedo Kamen!" she cried in relief.

Tuxedo Kamen didn't say anything, he just turned his attention towards Jadeite. The two fought, and toppled over into the water. The girls waited with baited breath to see who would emerge the victor. What was going on down there? After a minute or so of fighting, a rose floated to the top of the water, and Jadeite emerged, grinning evilly.

"Now that that's taken care of," he said. "I think I had some unfinished business.

Sailor Moon was too chocked to do anything, but luckily, Mars and Mercury were quick on their feet.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shouted, giving them enough cover so Mars could stick a charm on Jadeite.

The fog quickly dispersed, and Jadeite tried to send the planes towards them again. But because of the charm Mars had placed on him, the planes turned around and started to aim for him.

"What? No!" Jadeite cried. "Stop that!"

He started running, but the planes were faster. They were nearly on him, but he teleported away. He knew he couldn't go back to Queen Beryl, she would have him killed. He had failed in his duty to kill the Senshi. So he merely teleported himself to the other side of town, but suddenly a wicked idea came to him. He knew the identities of the Senshi. He could still kill them, easily.

As soon as Jadeite was gone, Sailor Moon rushed over to the water. "Tuxedo Kamen! He can't be dead…" she murmured, shaking her head.

Mars, Jupiter and Mercury came over as well, watching the water for any sign of life.

"I think he's gone," Mars said sympathetically.

Sailor Moon turned away, with the other Senshi following. They had only gotten a few steps when they heard a voice.

"Did you miss me?" Tuxedo Kamen was there, soaking wet, but very much alive.

"Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon cried, relieved to see that he was okay. "How did you survive? I thought you'd drowned!"

But Tuxedo Kamen completely avoided the question, merely saying. "Excellent teamwork. Never forgot how important your friendship is."

And with a whirl of his cape, he was gone.

"Well, I'm glad that's over with," Jupiter said after a moment.

"I still can't believe he knows who I am…" Sailor Moon fretted. "How did he find out? Do you thin he knows about you guys as well? What will I do?"

She was getting near hysterical, so Mars placed a hand on her shoulder. "Relax. We'll find Jadeite and defeat him, I promise you."

Sailor Moon nodded, but she was still worried.

"Come on, let's get home," Mars said.

The girls dropped their transformations, and headed back to their homes.

Usagi arrived home just in time for dinner. Her mother gave her a concerned glance, but didn't say anything.

"Mmm… this smells delicious, mama!" Usagi said.

"Thank you, Usagi," Ikuko said. "Can you set the table, please?"

Usagi pulled some plates out of the cupboard, and started to set them on the table.

"Kenji! Shingo!" Ikuko called. "It's dinnertime!"

Usagi heard the footsteps of her dad and little brother come down the stairs. She was just thinking how lovely it was to have a proper family dinner, when a loud crash sounded, and the door was knocked down. Standing in the doorway was a humanoid youma with green skin, and sharp claws for fingers.

"Ahh!" Ikuko screamed, dropping the plate of food she'd been carrying.

"Stay back!" Kenji said, pulling Ikuko behind him, and brandishing a knife at the youma.

"Be careful, Kenji!" Ikuko said.

The youma raised its arm in the air, a club forming around it. It then brought it crashing down, knocking Kenji out of the way.

"Kenji!" Ikuko screamed.

Jadeite appeared in the doorway then, a sadistic smile on your face. "I told you I'd find you, Sailor Moon."

Usagi looked around, panicking, but her mother was too busy worrying over Kenji's unconscious body, and Shingo was huddled into the corner, staring at the youma in fear.

The youma swung again, knocking over the table onto Shingo.

Usagi rushed over to brother, who seemed relatively unharmed, except for the table across his legs.

"Shingo! Are you okay?" Usagi asked, trying to pull the table off her brother.

"I'm okay," he said, but we was wincing in pain.

Usagi stood up, facing the youma and Jadeite. She could transform into Sailor Moon, and get rid of the youma pretty easily, but she would endanger her family even more if they knew she was Sailor Moon.

"Usagi, get out of the way!" Ikuko cried, but the youma hit her, knocking her unconscious.

Usagi turned around to help her mother, but in her distraction the youma swiped at her, it's sharp claws creating several long gashes down her arm. She clutched at her arm, the pain nearly overwhelming her. All of a sudden, she had an idea. She ran upstairs, quickly transformed, and jumped out the window. She ran around the house, and came to the front of it, attacking the youma form behind. Since her parents had been knocked unconscious, she didn't have to worry about them wondering why Usagi had disappeared right when Sailor Moon appeared. She only hoped her brother was unobservant enough, and too preoccupied with his own pain, that he wouldn't notice.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon cried, hitting the youma dead on. It hadn't been weakened enough to turn it into dust, but it did severely weaken it, as the tiara trapped the youmas arms to it side. It broke free of the confinement of the tiara after a moment, and the Sailor Moon caught her tiara. The youma was angry now, and it went after Sailor Moon again, swinging at her with its club. Sailor Moon ducked out of the way, but it still partially hit her knee, causing her leg to collapse beneath her. The youma hit her again, knocking her against the wall. Still, she got up, ignoring the excruciating pain in her knee and arm. She had to protect her family.

"Moon Tiara Action!" This time, the tiara effectively dusted the youma, and Sailor Moon breathed a sigh of relief. But there was still Jadeite to take care. She turned towards him, and saw the anger in his eyes.

"I won't let you get away this time, Usagi," he said, tormenting her with her real name.

He lunged forward to attack, but Sailor Moon sidestepped it, running out of the house, so her family couldn't be hurt by the ensuing fight.

She ran as fast as she could on her injured knee, but she could feel Jadeite right behind her. She turned down a deserted alley, stopping a moment to catch her breath. But her rest was short-lived, as Jadeite appeared, sending bolts of dark energy towards her. The dark energy hit her this time, as she was unprepared, and already weakened. The pain nearly brought her to her knees, but she remained strong.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon took off her tiara, and hurled it at Jadeite, but it missed.

"Hah! Pathetic," Jadeite said. "You think that can work on me? It didn't earlier, and it certainly won't now."

But the tiara circled around Jadeite and came back, hitting him this time. He was much too strong and powerful for it to dust him, but it did weaken him enough to give Sailor Moon the opportunity to tackle him to the ground. She punched him, again and again, hardly even aware of what she was doing. Tears streamed down her face, and she started sobbing, but she kept up her relentless attack.

"You bastard," she managed to say in between sobs. "How _dare_ you hurt my family! How dare you…"

She could feel Jadeite trying to attack back, but she was fueled by her grief and anger.

Nearby, Tuxedo Kamen watched as Sailor Moon attacked and attacked Jadeite. He felt like he should step in, but he didn't know how, or what to do. He had watched her since she had first started. He had seen her as she was just beginning to discover her powers, and was clumsy reluctant to fight. He had watched as she slowly became a stronger fighter, as she was joined by others, and her fighting and leadership skills increased. But he had never seen her like this, and he was honestly a bit frightened by the raw power she displayed. He could see that she was injured—and cursed himself for not having been able to protect her from that—but she acted as though it was nothing. He wondered what had happened to make her so angry, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He had often wondered what it must be like for her. Sure, he was a superhero with a secret identity, but he was just a helper. She was the leader of the Senshi, and it was up to her to protect the city, the planet. He figured that this was probably the first time he'd really seen her for who she was. The life of a superhero was never easy, and Sailor Moon looked so young. For the first time, she seemed fragile. And Tuxedo Kamen knew he had to step in,

Sailor Moon was still attacking, but the sobs racking her body were slowing her down, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Tuxedo Kamen was there, and he pulled her away from Jadeite's unconscious body, all bruised and bloody from her attacks.

"I couldn't protect them," Sailor Moon sobbed.

Tuxedo Kamen didn't know what she was talking about, but he held onto her as she cried.

"Come, let me have a look at your arm," he said after a moment, pulling it towards him to examine just how bad it was. To his surprise, Sailor Moon yanked her arm away, and stood up.

"I'm fine," she said. "I have to go."

She ran off, hardly even limping, although her leg had looked pretty badly hurt. He watched her go, too shocked to do anything.

Sailor Moon stopped for a moment, leaning against a building to catch her breath. Her tears were all spent, and her anger was slowly fading. As it did, she became more aware of the pain in her arm and knee in particular, but everywhere was sore and bruised. She hurried back home, and surveyed the mess in her kitchen. She quickly pulled the table off of Shingo, but then she left again. She knew her family would be basically okay, and she couldn't stick around as Sailor Moon. She dropped her transformation, and collapsed against the side of the house. She heard footsteps, and looked up to see the Senshi running towards her.

"Usagi!" Mars said. "What's going on? I was meditating at the shrine, when the fire told me of a youma near here. Where is it?"

"Gone," Usagi said.

Mars gave Usagi a good look, and realized how badly hurt she was. "Usagi! Are you okay? What happened?"

"A youma attacked," Usagi said. "They attacked my family. I couldn't protect them!"

"Oh, Usagi," Mars said. "I'm so sorry. Did you get rid of the youma?"

Usagi nodded.

"And Jadeite?" Mars asked.

"Taken care of," Usagi said. "At least I don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Come on, Usagi, I should really take a look at your wounds," Mercury said. "They'll only get worse if they're not tended to."

The girls dropped their transformations, and Rei helped Usagi up, so they could walk to the bus stop to go to the shrine.

Once at the shrine, Rei grabbed the first aid she kept, and handed it over to Ami. Ami carefully bandaged Usagi's arm, and made a makeshift brace for her knee.

"I'm sorry I can't do more," Ami apologized.

"It's okay," Usagi said. "Thank you. I should really get back home, my parents will worry if I'm not around."

Rei took Usagi back home, and then said her goodbyes.

Usagi got home just as her parents were starting to revive.

"Usagi!" Ikuko called, as soon as she saw her. "Thank heavens your safe! What happened?"

"Sailor Moon came and saved the day!" Shingo said. "She dusted that youma, just like the reporters are always talking about."

"Thank goodness for that," Ikuko said. "I'm so glad everyone is okay."

"Me too," Usagi said, smiling at her mother. She was so very, _very_ glad they were okay.

Jadeite slowly regained consciousness, his head pounding. He felt like he was barely alive, just clinging on to life by a shred. Sailor Moon was more powerful than he though, he shouldn't have underestimated him. He had just enough energy to teleport himself back to the Dark Kingdom. He didn't want to face Queen Beryl, but he had to get out of here.

Jadeite teleported himself into the throne room, bowing before Beryl's throne. "Queen Beryl-sama."

"Jadeite," she said, her voice angry. "How do you explain this? You have failed, yet again, to defeat the Senshi. I gave you a warning, Jadeite. I don't give second chances."

"Wait!" Jadeite said. "Please, my queen, hear me out. I know the identities of the Senshi! Just give me another try!"

"No!" Beryl shouted, even angrier now. "Be silent!"

jadeite screamed in agony as Beryl carried out her sentence towards Jadeite of Eternal Sleep.

"Let that be a warning to all," she said. "I will not tolerate failures. Nephrite, I want you to take over where Jadeite failed."

"Yes, my queen," Nephrite said, stepping before the throne and bowing. "I will not fail you. I will destroy the Senshi once and for all."

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><p><strong>AN: Review, please!<strong>


	9. A New Enemy

**AN: Eeek! I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been rather busy, and I'm currently trying to juggle 6 different writing projects, plus many other activities. And then during the holidays, I was pretty busy. Anyways, I'm really sorry, and I won't take so long to update again. This chapter is slightly filler-y, an a bit on the short side, but I felt like I just had to get something out. I'm already planning the next chapter, so more will happen soon, and it will hopefully be out in a timely manner.**

**As always, thanks to the reviewers of last chapter: SailorSea, Godschildtweety, James Birdsong, and sakanascales876. Your reviews means the world to me!**

**DISCLAIMER: Even though I got Sailor Moon for Christmas, I still don't own the rights to it. :(**

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><p>It had been several days since the showdown at the airport, and the attack on the Tsukino family. Luna had called a Senshi meeting at Rei's temple, and they were all gathered there, waiting for information on the new enemy.<p>

"I think we need to spend some time training," Luna said. "Remember the spot we went to earlier? We'll be going back there to continue training. We know Jadeite has been defeated, but we don't yet know who will replace him. They will undoubtedly be stronger, however, and you girls need to strengthen your powers and abilities."

"When are we leaving?" Ami asked.

"As soon as we can," Luna said. "Think up some excuse to tell your parents. We won't be gone for long, I just plan on spending today training. We can't stay away too long, in case a youma attacks."

"Well, I guess we'd better get going then," Usagi said. "I'll think of something to tell my parents."

The group disbanded, and headed towards their homes.

A little while later, after telling their parents various excuses for leaving, they arrived at the spot they'd trained at earlier.

"Now," Luna said, as the girl, now transformed into Senshi, gathered in the middle of the clearing. "Jupiter, I want you to continue practicing Supreme Thunder. Since you're new to the group, you could use some extra practice. Mercury, keep on making your fog an offensive attack, you've made a lot of progress. Mars, I think you're ready for a new power. Try to vary your fire. See if you can send it in different directions and forms. And Sailor Moon, I have this for you." Luna jumped in the air and produced a long scepter with a large, ornate ball on top.

"What is that?" Sailor Moon asked.

"This is the Moon Scepter," Luna said. "Use it to unlock a new power. Shout out 'Moon Scepter Elimination' when you use it. Now, everyone, get to practicing!"

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out, crashing thunder into a nearby tree.

Mars was practicing with her fire, so far managing to only produce her regular Fire Soul. Mercury as well was working on a new talent, trying to turn her fog into water.

Sailor Moon picked up the Moon Scepter, and pointed it towards a tree. "Moon Scepter Elimination!" She could feel power coursing through her veins, even more so then before, and then shooting out through her fingers and the top of the scepter.

"Ow!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, dropping the scepter. "That hurts!" She pulled off her glove and examined her fingers. They were red and raw, as if they'd been burned.

"Controlling such power does often does cause some pain," Luna said. "It's a price you have to pay. Sorry, I should have mentioned it."

"Hmm," Sailor Moon said, still examining her hand. "It would make my job a lot easier if destroying the enemy _didn't_ cause me pain. But, I guess I don't have much a choice." She sighed.

Mars wiped her brow. "Damnit! I can't do it!"

"Concentrate, Mars," Luna said. "You all have the ability to be more powerful, you just have to find it within yourselves."

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury cried out, sending a torrent of water towards a tree. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Well done, Mercury," Luna said. "Now, Sailor Moon and Mars, keep practicing. The more you practice, the better you'll get."

Meanwhile, at the Dark Kingdom, Nephrite was planning his first move. He wanted to see who he was up against before he started plans to eliminate them. He knew he was a better warrior and strategist than Jadeite, but he needed to know how powerful the Senshi were. He would not make the same careless mistakes Jadeite had. Smiling, he selected a youma.

"Apod," Nephrite called. A tall, humanoid youma with green skin and deadly looking spikes stepped forward.

"Go forth and attack. I don't really care where or what, but draw the Senshi out. I want to see how they do in battle."

The youma nodded, before vanishing.

Dusk was beginning to fall, and Sailor Moon, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter were all exhausted from their day of training.

"All right," Luna said. "You girls have worked hard today, and I hope learned a lot. We should get back now."

"Finally," Sailor Moon muttered. "If I have to use that stupid scepter again, I think my fingers are going to fall off."

"Like you have it so hard," Mars said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I do more work than _you_ do," Sailor Moon retorted.

"Maybe the fact that it hurts means you aren't strong enough," Mars said.

"I am too strong enough!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

Sailor Moon stuck her tongue out at Mars, and Mars reciprocated.

Mercury sighed. "Why must they always get into this?"

"You can tell they're close," Jupiter said, laughing. "it's obvious it's not serious fighting."

"It may not be serious," Luna said. "But it is annoying. Now, let's go."

Sailor Moon and Mars stopped their bickering temporarily, and headed back towards home.

They were close to the shrine when they heard screams.

"What was that?" Mars asked, stopping suddenly.

"It's coming from over there!" Mercury said, pointing towards he direction of town. She whipped out her computer, and started typing away.

"Come on!" Jupiter said. "Let's go take care of this."

The girls sprinted towards town, hearing more screams as they got closer. They finally burst through the trees, and saw a tall, green, humanoid youma covered in spikes. It was shooting spikes at everyone.

"Mercury, see to the wounded people," Sailor Moon said. "Jupiter and Mars, help me with this youma."

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out, sending thunder crashing towards the youma. The youmas easily dodged, and sent spikes lying towards them.

"Fire Soul!" Mars said, also missing the youma.

Mercury was frantically attending the wounded and scared, trying to heal their wounds, and calm them down. It was difficult work, but she had to try and do it. She looked up from her work, and saw Sailor Moon dodging a spike, while Jupiter tried to hit it again.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury called out quickly, giving her fellow Senshi a little cover.

"Thanks, Mercury," Sailor Moon said gratefully, glancing over her shoulder and smiling at her friend.

"Where did it go?" Jupiter muttered, looking around for the youma, which had gone missing.

Out of nowhere, a spike appeared, flying right towards Sailor Moon.

"Look out!" Mars cried.

Sailor Moon dropped to the ground to avoid the spike, but it still grazed her side. "Damnit!" she said as she pulled her hand away from her side to find it red with blood. It hurt like hell, too.

"That's it," Mars said. She was really pissed now. She felt something, deep inside of her, something new and powerful. She closed her eyes, trying to reach it. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. She knew what to do. "Burning Mandala!"

Blades of fire shot out, surrounding the youma, and hitting it. The youma screamed in pain, and Sailor Moon staggered to her feet, pulling out her scepter.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!" she called out, feeling the now familiar rush of power, and sudden pain as it burst through her fingers. The youma screamed in agony as it collapsed in a pile of dust, but Sailor Moon swayed to the side, feeling faint. Suddenly, before she could fall, she was being carried through the air. She looked up to find Tuxedo Kamen there, carrying her to safety.

"Are you all right?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine," Sailor Moon said, wincing a little bit.

"Let me see," he said, and Sailor Moon pulled her hand away form her side so he could examine it. Thankfully, it didn't look serious, the spike had only just grazed her side. Still, it needed to be bandaged up as soon as possible.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

She shook her head, grimaced a bit as she tried to wipe the blood off her glove. She tugged her glove off, and looked at her fingers, frowning a little. They hurt, and she didn't like it.

"What happened to your fingers?" he asked.

"Just after-effects of using the Moon Scepter," Sailor Moon shrugged. "Not a big deal. They'll be completely back to normal in about an hour. Anyways, thank you for your help."

"Of course," Tuxedo Kamen said.

"There you are!" Mars said, walking towards them. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Mars," Sailor Moon said.

"Let me see your side," Mercury said. She examined it with a careful eye. "Come on, let's get you back so I can bandage that up."

Sailor Moon hopped off the rock she had been sitting on, and left with her friends. She was glad that none of them were hurt, aside from the usual cuts and bruises. Still, she wished she weren't quite so clumsy. She was getting tired of having to explain all these injuries to her parents.

Nephrite had been watching the fight, and he carefully considered his next move. He knew that after Jadeite's failure, Queen Beryl wouldn't be quire so lenient. He was expendable, they all were. Jadeite had proved that. Even minor failures, like losing a youma today, were strikes against him in Queen Beryl's eyes. He had to act quickly and carefully. Still, he smiled to himself. He knew he could do it, if he played the cards right. He had know seen a bit about how the Senshi fought, and that would make his job easier. Soon, the Senshi would be no more.


	10. A New Direction

**AN: Yay for fast updates! The action picks up a little in this chapter and more is coming soon! :) Thanks, as always, to my reviewers: SailorSea, loveinthebattlefield, Ms. Fairweather, and sakanascaled876. Your reviews keep me writing!**

**DISCLAIMER: Now matter how many stars I've wished upon, Sailor Moon still does not belong to me. :(**

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><p>Usagi groaned as she felt something scratch her arm. She opened her eyes to find Luna there, impatiently scratching at her.<p>

"Ow, Luna! I'm not a scratching post," Usagi mumbled. "Go away."  
>"Usagi, it's 10 minutes to 8!" Luna said. "You'll be late for school."<p>

"10 minutes to 8?" Usagi shot straight up. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I tried," Luna muttered.

Usagi quickly pulled on her school uniform, and sprinted downstairs. She looked forlornly at the pancakes on the table, and her stomach grumbled.

"No time for breakfast," Ikuko said. "If you'd gotten up earlier you could have had some. Now hurry off to school!"

Usagi grabbed her school bag and dashed out the door. She was running along the sidewalk, not paying attention to where she was going, when she bumped into something. Or rather, someone.

"Watch where you're going, Odango," Mamoru said.

"You!" Usagi said, pointing her finger menacingly at him. "Why does it always have to be you I run into?"

"Don't ask me, you're the one who collides into me every time," Mamoru said.

"Of all the rotten luck," Usagi muttered. It was bad enough that her side still hurt from the previous fight, she was severely under slept, she was late for school, and he hadn't finished her homework. She had to run into her nemesis as well.

"Should you be hurrying to school?" he asked. "I seem to recall junior high school starting at 8."

Usagi glared at him. "Yeah, well what about YOU? Aren't you going to be late for school as well, Mr. Perfect?"

"College, Odango," he said. "My first class isn't until 9. Maybe you'll find that out for yourself someday. That is, if you manage to pass junior high, let alone get into a good high school, and then a good college. It would be quite a feat, the Odango in college."

"Well... welll… humph!" Usagi said, unable to think of a proper insult. The warning bell form her school sounded, and she wailed. "You're going to make me even later!"

She ran off again, arriving at school a few minutes too late. She hoped Ms. Haruna was in a good mood. "Please, please let her have a date," Usagi whispered to any Gods that might be listening. She hesitantly opened the door to her classroom, sneaking in while Ms. Haruna was lecturing.

"Usagi Tsukino, don't even _think_ about taking another step inside this classroom," Ms. Haruna said. "Out in the hall, NOW."

Usagi slunk back outside, scowling. She hated her life.

After school and detention, Usagi headed over to Rei's for a study group and combination Senshi meeting.

"You're late," Rei said, glaring at Usagi.

"It's not my fault Ms. Haruna was in a grumpy mood," Usagi said,

Rei was about to say something, but Luna cut in.

"I have important information regarding the enemy," Luna said. "I have reason to believe that their attacks my soon change."

"What do you mean, Luna?" Ami asked.

"I believe the enemy will soon be looking for the Rainbow Crystals, and not just focusing on gathering energy."

"What are the rainbow crystals?" Ami asked. "I've never heard of them."

"The Rainbow Crystals are seven fragments on the legendary Silver Crystal. Long ago, back on the Moon Kingdom, Queen Serenity ruled with the help of the Silver Crystal. When the Earth attacked, Queen Serenity sealed the Dark Kingdom's seven most powerful youma into the Silver Crystal. It shattered, and each piece, carrying one of the youma, was sent out into space. I have recently obtained information that the Dark Kingdom is looking for them, and that they have been reincarnated into humans."

"What do we need them for, though?" Usagi said. "I mean, why does the Dark Kingdom want it so badly?"

"The Silver Crystal is incredibly powerful," Luna said. "If they gained control of it, the results would be disastrous. And although I don't know how to wield it, I believe that if we gather the seven Rainbow Crystals, we may be able to form the Silver Crystal again. And, if we have that, it may lead us to the Moon Princess."

"How can we find them?" Ami asked.

Luna sighed. "Unfortunately, I am still trying to figure that out. But you should be on your guard."

"No problem," Makoto said. "Is that all you wanted to tell us about, Luna?"

"Yes, that was the information I needed to relay."

Ami pulled out her homework and a textbook from her bag. "Hopefully now I can get in some good studying. I've been behind on my vocabulary. I've only been managing to memorize about 90 vocabulary words a day, and 100 is what I've been aiming for."

"I don't know how you do it, Ami," Usagi said, flopping down on the floor.

"It's not that difficult if you work hard," Ami said.

Makoto pulled a tin of cookies out of her bag. "Here, help yourself if you want any. I made them last night, but unfortunately I made far too many!"

"Makoto, you're a life saver!" Usagi said, grabbing a cookie from the tin. They were chocolate chip, her favorite.

"Don't forget that you're here to study, not just eat cookies," Luna said.

Usagi reluctantly pulled out her test from last week. She'd gotten a 38 on it, and Ms. Haruna was making her do corrections. It was Math, her least favorite subject. Although, Mamoru's tutoring had really helped, as much as Usagi hated to admit it. She had more tutoring with him tomorrow, and although she didn't want to spend time with him, maybe he could help her with her test.

A few hours later, everything was all done, and Usagi was walking back home. She decided to take a detour through the park, and was enjoying the nice evening weather, when she heard screams. She rushed ahead, and found a youma draining the energy of several civilians. She quickly opened her communicator.

"Guys, there's an emergency at the park," she said quickly, glancing up at the youma. "A youma. A nasty-looking one, too."

The youma glanced her way, and headed over towards her, and Usagi swore. She quickly closed her communicator, and looked around for a safe place to transform. There were still several conscious people, and she didn't want to blow her cover. She was running away from the youma, so she could lead it away from the people. She was glancing over her shoulder, and didn't look where she was going until she bumped into someone.

"Odango?"

Usagi turned around and saw Mamoru.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "You should leave, it isn't safe."

"I could ask you the same question," Usagi muttered.

"I came here because I heard the screams," he said. "I wanted to see what was going on. Now, get out of here!"

Usagi wasn't sure what she could say to get him to leave her alone, but she didn't need to, because the youma lashed out at them, preventing Usagi from explaining herself.

"Look out!" Mamoru said, as the youma struck out towards them.

Its top half resembled a female human, but the bottom half looked like a spider. It spat a spider web towards them, which narrowly missed Usagi and Mamoru, hitting a tree instead. The tree melted, and Usagi groaned inwardly. Venom. Great. That was the last thing she needed. Knowing her luck, she'd end up poisoned.

The youma lashed out again, this time using one of its razor-sharp legs to strike at them. Mamoru pulled Usagi out of the way, but it managed to just nick her side. Although the cut wasn't bad at all, it happened to be right where Usagi had been hit earlier. The small cut managed to partially open her wound again, an Usagi cursed under her breath.

"Are you all right?" Mamoru asked, worried.

"I'm fine," Usagi said, but she winced in pain a little as she moved out of the way. She hoped the Senshi would be here soon, so she could go transform.

"Supreme Thunder!"

Usagi looked up and saw the Senshi, ready to attack. She breathed a sigh of relief. Now hopefully she could find somewhere to transform.

"You're right, I should go," Usagi said to Mamoru, and ran off before he could say anything. Once she was safely concealed behind some bushes, she called out her transformation.

"Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" Usagi felt the familiar warmth and power surround her, and before long she stood there in her sailor fuku, ready for the fight. A nice benefit was her side didn't hurt as much as Sailor Moon. It still hurt a little, but it wasn't half as bad.

"Burning Mandala!" Mars called out, sending blades of fire towards the youma. It was fast, and hard to hit. Its attacks alternated between spitting out venomous spider webs, trying to slice them with its razor sharp legs, and sending out shockwaves that drained their energy.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury called out, at the same time Jupiter sent thunder.

Sailor Moon rushed over to help her friends. "What did I miss?"

"Not much," Mars said. "This stupid thing is fast, we can't hit. And what we do hit it with, doesn't do much damage. Mercury's working on figuring out its weakness."

The youma sent out a shockwave, which hit Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars.

"Are you okay?" Jupiter asked, rushing over to her fallen comrades.

"Fine," Sailor Moon said. "I just feel weak."

"Ugh," Mars agreed.

"Aha," Mercury said. "It seems to have a weakness to thunder. Hit with all you've got, Jupiter."

"Got it," she said. "I call upon my guardian, Jupiter. Bring forth the clouds, the lightning and the thunder! Supreme Thunder!"

Jupiter sent it crashing towards the youma, and it howled in pain. Sailor Moon pulled out her scepter, ready to turn the youma into dust.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!" she called, finishing the enemy. She grimaced a little as the power shot through, leaving her fingers feeling burned, and her whole body tingly and exhausted.

Mercury went to go examine the injured, and Sailor Moon looked around for Mamoru. She hoped he'd gotten away okay. He was a complete baka, and a total jerk, but he wasn't really that bad.

Meanwhile, Tuxedo Kamen was watching from a nearby tree. He was glad they hadn't needed his help today. He hoped Usagi had gotten away safely. She said she was leaving, but he could have sworn he saw her duck behind a bush. It was a little peculiar that Sailor Moon showed up late… right after Usagi disappeared, actually. But Mamoru shook the feeling off. He didn't know if Sailor Moon even had a life outside of being a warrior. Maybe he was the only one living a double life. And even if Sailor Moon was a normal girl ordinarily, there's no way it could ever be Usagi.

Back at the Dark Kingdom, Nephrite anxiously awaited Queen Beryl's orders. He knew she would want to see him soon, to 'discuss' his failures.

"Nephrite," Queen Beryl said. "I am very disappointed in you. You have let the pesky Sailor Senshi win another battle, and your efforts to collect energy failed miserably."

"My queen, I offer my sincerest apology," Nephrite said. "And I assure you it won't happen again."

"It had better not," Queen Beryl said.

"I even have a plan for gathering energy already," Nephrite said.

"There's been a change of plan," Queen Beryl said. "I want you to collect the seven Rainbow Crystals, which have our greatest youmas sealed away inside. And if we collect all seven, we can posses the power of the mighty Silver Crystal."

"Of course, my queen," Nephrite said. "How do I find these crystals?"

"Use this," Beryl said, handing him a dark crystal. "It will activate when near a crystal. They have all been reincarnated into humans."

"I won't fail you, my lady," Nephrite said.

"You are dismissed," she said.

Nephrite walked back towards the planning room he used, examining the crystal he had been given.

"You'll never find the crystals," a voice said. Nephrite looked up to find a young man with blonde hair floating in the air.

"Zoisite," Nephrite said. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just checking up," he said. "Seeing as I'll be taking over soon."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Zoisite," Nephrite said. "I'm not going to fail."

"That's what Jadeite said, too, and you saw where it got him." Zoisite said.

"Just leave, Zoisite, I have this taken care of," Nephrite said.

"All right, I'm going," the other man said, laughing as he disappeared.

Nephrite clenched his fists. Failure was not an option. Now that he had the dark crystal, he would locate the seven Rainbow Crystals, and prove to Queen Beryl. and Zoisite, that he was worthy.

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><p><strong>AN: Review please! :)<strong>


	11. The First Crystal

**AN: Hello everyone! Sorry about the bit of a delay in updating. I really like to update a bit sooner than this, but I've been struggling with some writer's block. Thankfully, I think *crosses fingers* I've gotten past that now. Anyways, thanks, as always, to my reviewers: wannabe kairi, loveinthebattlefield, sakanascaled876, RKF22, Ms. Fairweather, and Comet Moon. Seriously, you guys all rock. I'm happy if I can get 3 reviewers per chapter, but 6! That is so awesome. I love you all.**

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><p>It was the middle of the night, and Usagi was sleeping peacefully—until her communicator went off. Groaning, she rolled over, and opened it up.<p>

"What is it?" she mumbled.

"There's a youma at the park," Ami said. "We'd better hurry over."

"Mmkay," Usagi said sleepily. She shut off the communication, and dragged herself out of bed. Opening her window, Usagi carefully leapt out, and onto the ground. Once she'd landed, she took off running, adrenaline taking over. She got to the park, and saw Mercury and Jupiter already there. Hiding behind a tree, she called out her transformation.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

By now, the intoxicating rush of power was familiar to her. She let it wash over her body, transforming Usagi Tsukino, an ordinary school girl, into Sailor Moon, super heroine and savior of Tokyo.

Sailor Moon rushed onto the scene, right as Mars was arriving.

"All right, what do we have?" Sailor Moon asked.

"A nasty one," Mercury said, furiously typing away at her computer. "It seems to attack mainly through brute force. I'm working on figuring out a weakness."

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called, hitting the youma with a bolt of lightning. The youma hardly flinched.

"Damn it!" Jupiter cursed. "Our attacks aren't doing anything."

"Let me try," Mars said. "Fire Soul!"

Once again, the youma didn't seem to be affected much. It was a large, animal-like youma. It moved swiftly on two feet, but it was covered in purple fur, and had long arms with razor-sharp claws. It swiped its arm out, knocking Jupiter and Mars backwards into a tree.

"Are you all right?" Sailor Moon asked, rushing over to her injured friends.

"Fine," Jupiter said, wincing as she got up. "That thing is strong."

The youma reached out to attack again, just barely missing Sailor Moon, as she jumped out of the way.

"Mercury?" Sailor Moon asked, dodging another attack. "A little hint on the weakness might be nice."

"I'm working on it," she said. "I'm getting very confusing readings, however… it's taking me a minute to decipher them."

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out again, hitting the youma. It turned to look at her, and ran over, preparing to attack with its claws.

"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon cried out, trying to divert the enemy's attention away from Jupiter.

It worked, although it barely damaged the youma. It changed direction, and headed towards Sailor Moon, ready to attack.

"Crap," she muttered. She hadn't really thought past getting it away from Jupiter. Now she was stuck. The youma struck out towards her, and Sailor Moon tried to duck out of the way. It still hit her, however, and sent her flying backwards into the air. She was knocked backwards into a tree, hitting her head hard. She slowly sank to the ground, dizzy and seeing spots from the force of it.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars cried, running over to help her friend. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head to clear it. She stood up, knees wobbling. "Just a bit sore, that's all."

Mars frowned. "You're bleeding."

"Am I?" Sailor Moon asked. She had lots of small cuts and scrapes, but she felt something wet on the back of her head. She reached her hand back, and found it to be covered in blood. "It's noting serious."

"Nothing serious?" Mars exploded. "Are you crazy? Your head is covered in blood, and you can barely stand without falling over! It is most definitely _serious!_"

Sailor Moon just rolled her eyes. "Really, I'm fine. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be killed by a youma today, so how about you stop yelling at me and we focus our attacks on defeating this thing?"

Mars narrowed her eyes at Sailor Moon, but reluctantly agreed. "Fine. Mercury, any news on the weakness?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't have an obvious one," Mercury said. "We'll just have to hit it with all we've got."

"Got it," Jupiter said. "Supreme Thunder!"

At the same time, Mercury called out, "Shine Aqua Illusion!"

The electricity-charged water hit the youma, and it staggered backwards,

"Burning Mandala!" Mars called out, hitting the youma. It writhed in pain, and while it was distracted, Sailor Moon pulled out her scepter.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!" She put all of her energy into it, and in a swirl of light and power, the youma screamed in agony as it was turned to dust. Sailor Moon wondered for a moment why the world was suddenly tilted, before everything went black.

"Sailor Moon!" Jupiter cried out. "Are you okay?"

Sailor Moon groaned as she came to, finding herself in Tuxedo Kamen's arms, and the Senshi crowded around her, panicking.

"Fine," she said, sitting up.

"You are most certainly not fine," Mars said. "You have a head wound! You clearly need medical attention immediately, if not sooner."

"I agree," Tuxedo Kamen said. "You need medical attention."

"It's really not serious," Sailor Moon said.

Mars turned to look at Mercury, who was tapping away on her computer.

"It seems that she's right," Mercury said. "After the wound is cleaned and bandaged, Sailor Moon should be fine. Although, you may have a mild concussion."

"See?" Sailor Moon said. "I'm fine. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to leave, so I can cram in about 20 minutes of sleep before I have to get up again."

She got to her feet, and walked off, heading back home. Once she was out of sight, she dropped her transformation. It was nearly seven, which meant in an hour she had to be up for school. And that didn't include the time it took to get back to her house, and clean herself up so her parents didn't wonder what had happened to her.

Usagi knew that her parents would be up by now, so she couldn't go in the front door. Instead, she snuck around the back, until she was standing underneath her window. She climbed up the tree near her window, and then took a flying leap towards her window. Grabbing on to the window sill, she hauled herself in through the window. Quietly closing her window, Usagi walked into the bathroom, hoping nobody was upstairs.

Luck seemed to be in her favor today, as she made it to the bathroom without encountering anyone. She took a washcloth and carefully washed away all the blood. Grabbing some gauze, she put some over the wound. Frowning, she rearranged her hair, trying to cover the gauze better. She hoped nobody would look to closely at the back of her head that day. Finally done, she headed back to her room, and collapsed onto her bed. She fell asleep nearly instantly, noting with annoyance that it was now 7:32.

By the time lunch rolled around, Usagi felt half dead. Her head hurt, she'd gotten nowhere near enough sleep, and she was sore all over from being slammed into the tree. To make matters worse, Ms. Haruna had called on her to answer a difficult math question, and when she couldn't, she gave Usagi detention.

"Hey," Makoto said, sliding down next to Usagi. "How are you doing?"

"Ugh," Usagi said. "I just want to go home, curl up in bed, sleep for a million years, and forget that the Dark Kingdom exists."

"I know the feeling," Makoto said sympathetically. "But you just have to be strong. We'll kick some Dark Kingdom butt, and then we can go back to our normal lives."

"Yeah, I know," Usagi said. "Still. I wouldn't complain if life decided to be a little easier now and then. We're up all night fighting youmas, and then we still have to be on the lookout for any signs of the enemy pursuing these rainbow crystals. Plus, we have school."

"Well, at least I can help with the school part," Ami said, arriving and sitting down next to Usagi. "You said Ms. Haruna gave you extra work to do."

"Yeah, math," Usagi said. "I guess I could take it to Mamoru… ugh, I have another tutoring session with him today."

"How's that going?" Makoto asked.

"Terrible!" Usagi moaned. "He's rude, impatient, a total jerk all the time, and a terrible teacher. I hate him."

Makoto fought back a smile. Usagi was always complaining about Mamoru, but she seemed to enjoy it a bit _too_ much… Makoto had a feeling she secretly liked him.

"Let me see the work Ms. Haruna gave you," Ami said. "I can help you with some of it."

"Thanks, Ami, you're a lifesaver," Usagi said gratefully.

Just as Ami took the homework, a scream pierced the air.

"It's a monster!" someone cried. "Somebody help!"

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Usagi said, burying her head in her hands.

"Come on, Usagi, we have to go investigate," Makoto said, pulling Usagi to her feet. They followed the sounds of screams, and saw a youma draining the energy of some of the students.

Ami snapped open her communicator. "There's a youma at the school, draining the energy of students."

"On my way," Rei said over the communicator.

"Come on, we need to transform," Makoto said.

"You're right," Usagi said, sighing resignedly. She was tired enough already, but duty called.

The girls called out their transformations, and soon the Sailor Senshi were standing where three school girls had been a minute before.

"Hey, you there!" Sailor Moon said, stepping out to face the youma. "Draining the energy of students who work hard at school will not be tolerated! In the name of the Moon, I, Sailor Moon, defender of love and justice, will punish you!"

The youma, a blue humanoid which used its hair to attack, turned towards Sailor Moon. It didn't say anything, but shot its hair towards her, which she easily dodged.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury called out, covering the area in a dense fog. "I'm going to check on the injured. Can you and Jupiter handle the youma until Mars gets here?"

"We'll be fine," Sailor Moon said.

Mercury ran off through the fog to tend to the wounded.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out, hitting the youma. It dropped to the ground, screaming in pain.

Sailor Moon pulled off her tiara. "Moon Tiara Magic!"

The tiara hit the youma, and it dissolved into a pile of dust.

"Huh, that was easy," Sailor Moon said.

Mars came running onto the scene, out of breath. "Where's the youma?"

"Gone," Jupiter said. "We defeated it easily."

"Very easily," Sailor Moon muttered. "Almost… _too_ easy."

"What do you mean?" Mars asked,

"Well, think about it," Sailor Moon said. "The youmas have been getting stronger lately, and harder to defeat. The one earlier today took a lot out of everyone. So why was this one so easy? All it took was a little zap of Jupiter's thunder, and my tiara, and poof! It was gone."

"Hmmm," Mars said. "That's very odd… but what's even weirder is that I still feel an evil aura nearby. If the youma was defeated, what's the evil presence I feel?"

They all looked at each other, and then ran off to find Mercury.

"Mercury," Mars said. "Can you check on your computer for any signs of the enemy nearby?"

Mercury pulled out her computer, and started tapping away. "Why, though? What about the youma?"

"We defeated it," Sailor Moon. "But too easily. And Mars still feels an evil aura."

"Wait a minute," Mercury said. "There is something. It will take me a minute to pinpoint the exact location. However, I am picking up some strong energy signals that are linked to the Dark Kingdom. It seems to be coming from… three blocks away, to the west."

"Come on then!" Jupiter said, running off. "Let's do this!"

Sailor Moon, Mercury and Mars followed in close pursuit. They heard the screams before they got there. When they arrived, they saw Nephrite cornering a young man, who was cowering in fear.

"I don't know what you want, but please just leave me alone," he was saying. "I can give you money, or…"

Nephrite smirked. "I don't want money. There's something else you have I'll be taking." He held up a black crystal in front of the man, and waves of energy started coming off of it. The man screamed in agony, clutching at his chest.

"Stop right there!" Sailor Moon said. "I will not allow you to harm an innocent man. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"

"Oh, really?" Nephrite said. "Come forth, youma!"

A red crystal appeared in the man's chest, and pillars of light shot up all around him, as he fell to the ground. In his place a robotic-like youma appeared. It was made out of red metal, and buttons on its arms which looked like they would reveal hidden features. Nephrite reached for the crystal, but a rose shot through the air, striking right in front of the crystal.  
>"I can't allow you to have that," Tuxedo Kamen said, picking up the crystal. "I'll be taking this."<p>

The youma pushed a button on its arm, and a large spiked hammer appeared. The hammer came crashing down towards Sailor Moon, but Tuxedo Kamen pulled her out of the way in time.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury called, hitting the youma, but having little effect.

"Burning Mandala!" Mars said, creating a little more damage.

The youma lashed out again, this time using a long metal pole to attack. At the end of the pole there were two large metal pinchers, which it used to pick up Sailor Moon.

"Let me down!" Sailor Moon struggled against the binds, but she couldn't move.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter said, hitting the youma, and forcing it to release Sailor Moon.

"Now, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Kamen said.

"Wait," she said. "How am I supposed to defeat it? It was originally a human. I can't hurt a human!"

"Use this," Luna said, producing a small stick with a crescent moon on top. "This will heal the youma, and revert it back to a human."

"Got it," she said. "Moon Healing Escalation!"

The light hit the youma, and it cried out in pain, before collapsing back to the ground as a human.

"Will he be okay?" Sailor Moon asked.

"He'll be fine," Mercury said, running some scans on her computer. "He's unconscious, that's all."

"Wait," Sailor Moon said suddenly, noticing Tuxedo Kamen's retreating form. "Why are you taking the rainbow crystal?"

"I need it," he said.

"But… we need it, too," she said. "And we did all the fighting. What makes you think you can just take it?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I need it for… personal reasons."

"And your personal reasons are more important than finding the Moon Princess and defeating the Dark Kingdom, thereby saving the world from destruction?"

"I'm sorry," he said again, but offered no other explanation before disappearing.

"I don't trust him," Luna said. "How can we be sure he's not working for the Dark Kingdom?"

"He's not," Sailor Moon said.

"And how do you know this?" Luna asked. "You mustn't let your personal feelings get in the way of your job. It is dangerous to trust anyone other than your fellow Senshi. Be wary of who you trust; trust placed in the wrong person can mean your death."

"I know that," she said. "But… I just _know_ he's not our enemy."

"He's certainly preventing us from getting our hands on the rainbow crystals, so I don't think he's an ally," Luna said.

"But he's saved my life so many times," Sailor Moon said. "Why would he do that if he were our enemy?"

"To make you trust him, so he can betray that trust when the time comes," Luna said.

"No," Sailor Moon said. "He's not the enemy. Maybe his reasons for wanting the crystals are perfectly valid."

Luna sighed. "I can see I won't get anywhere by arguing with you. But be careful. We must get the rainbow crystals, no matter what the cost."

"I know," Sailor Moon mumbled, but her attention wasn't on Luna. She noticed something lying on the ground. It was a small, golden, star-shaped locket.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please keep these lovely reviews coming. :)<strong>


	12. Another Crystal Appears

Usagi was moping around the house, feeling in a spectacularly bad mood. Her mother had grounded her, because she'd gotten a D on her most recent math test. Usagi had tried to explain that it wasn't so bad, since a D is passing and all that, but Ikuko wouldn't have any of it, and told her she had to stay in the house until she had finished the math packet Ms. Haruna had given her. And Ikuko promised she would check it, to make sure she got everything right. Usagi was in the middle of trying to solve a particularly difficult algebra problem, but her mind kept on wandering to the golden locket she'd found the other day. Something about it seemed so… familiar to her. But she was positive she'd never seen it before in her life. Still, whenever she opened it, the music it played seemed to just call out to her. It was such a beautiful melody, but something about it made her feel melancholy. Sighing, she put away the locket and pulled out her math homework. She didn't see why she had to bother learning math. There was no way she could ever quit being Sailor Moon, so her future was pretty much cut out for her. And who knows, she might not even make it to that old. The chances of her getting killed before old age were higher than she would have liked.

Usagi had just started getting to work on the math when the phone rang. She picked it up, annoyed that someone had interrupted her just as she was starting to work. "Hello?"

"Odango, where are you? You were supposed to meet me at the Arcade 15 minutes ago!"

Usagi winced. She forgot she had another study session with Mamoru. "I forgot. But I can't go, anyways. My mom's grounded me. So you'll have to somehow survive without my presence."

"I don't care about your presence, but Motoki won't give me my free coffee if you're not here! So, grounded or not, get over here."

"Well, I'm not going to!" Usagi said, sticking her tongue out, before she realized Mamoru couldn't see her. "Also, how did you get my phone number? That's kinda creepy, I never gave it to you."

"You know, Odango, there's this wonderful invention called a phone book," he said. "You might have heard of it."

"Well… fine! I'm not going to the stupid Arcade for a stupid study sessions with stupid you about stupid math, so you can just pay for your stupid coffee, you stupid baka!" She slammed the phone down. She had already been in a grumpy mood, and Mamoru was only making it worse. She had to try and solve the stupid math problems, while thinking about where and when the enemy would next strike, and contemplate whether Tuxedo Kamen really was working against them, and if he wasn't, why he took the rainbow crystal. It was too much for her 14-year old brain to handle, superhero or not.

At the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite was carefully plotting his next move. Nephrite had been killed for his failure to obtain the rainbow crystal. It had fallen into the hands of Tuxedo Kamen, and Queen Beryl was not pleased. Zoisite knew he had to get the rest of the crystals, or else he too would be killed. Smiling, Zoisite found his next victim, the carrier of another rainbow crystal. And he would not fail.

Usagi had finally finished most of her math homework, and begged her mom to let her finish the rest at the Senshi meeting. Or the study group, which is what her mother thought it was. After considerable begging, pleading, crying and promising to do extra chores to make up for it, and convincing her mother it would help her grades, not hurt them, Usagi left. She practically danced down the street, she was so happy. She wasn't particularly thrilled about the Senshi meeting, but at least she was no longer cooped up inside her house. She arrived at the Hikawa Shrine in record time, right when the meeting was supposed to start.

"You're here early," Rei said. "Odango Atama has actually arrived on time! Is the world coming to an end?"

"Very funny, Rei," Usagi said. "What's going on, Luna?"

"We need to plot our next move very carefully," Luna said. "We know that the enemy is now after the rainbow crystals, as is Tuxedo Kamen. As this time, we don't know if he's working for the enemy, or if he is a separate force after the crystals, which we must deal with it."

"He's not working for the enemy!" Usagi said.

"Usagi, I know you kind of have a thing for him, but you can't let your personal feelings get in the way of our job," Makoto said. "We need the crystals, and if he's going to prevent us from getting them, he is the enemy, whether he works for the Dark Kingdom or not."

"He doesn't work for the Dark Kingdom," Usagi said. "No way. I mean, think about it. Nephrite was going to take the crystal, and Tuxedo Kamen stopped him. Why would he do that if he was working for them?"

"Maybe it was just for show," Ami suggested. "To try and fool us into believing he was on our side."

"Since when as the Dark Kingdom bothered with secrecy?" Usagi asked. "Why would they bother changing their methods now? And besides, I'm telling you, he's not working for the enemy! I just… I just _know_, okay? And Rei, you can generally get some sort of feeling if someone has an evil aura. But you've never mentioned anything about Tuxedo Kamen before. Do you think he's evil?"

"No, I haven't gotten any strange readings from him," Rei admitted.

"See?" Usagi said.

"All right, for the time being we can assume Tuxedo Kamen is not working for the enemy," Luna said. "But we must all be on our guard. We don't know why he wants the crystals, or to what ends he will go to get them. Even if his intentions at the moment are pure, if we try and stop him, he may very well turn against us."

"Fine," Usagi said.

"About the next crystal," Ami said. "Luna, do you have any idea were it might appear? I've been trying to do some searches on my computer, but I'm afraid I don't know what to search for."

"I'm afraid I don't either," Luna said. "The information I get from Control is quite vague. I do believe you will be able to detect a different energy reading from your computer if you are near them, but unfortunately, I have no way of finding them. Unless we happen to get lucky and run into them, we must just be on alert, and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. We cannot let the Dark Kingdom or Tuxedo Kamen get this next crystal. If we want to find and awaken Princess Serenity, we need all of them. We are already at a disadvantage."

"Well, is that it?" Usagi asked. "We already know all this."

"No, there's more," Luna said. "I want you all to train more. You've been working hard on improving your magic, but you need to train in a more traditional way as well. The enemy's attacks have been getting stronger, and we're struggling to keep up."

Usagi groaned. "More training? I'm wiped out already!"

"Which is why you need to train more," Luna said. "You'll build up strength an endurance. Simple activities like running can drastically improve your stamina, and therefore your abilities as a Sailor Senshi. I fully expect all of you to start training either at a gym, or in a suitable alternative way."

"Fine," Usagi said. "Anything else?"

"That's all," Luna said. She frowned. "I wish we had more information on Princess Serenity. I know that gathering the rainbow crystals are supposed to lead the way to the Silver Crystal, but how are we supposed to find the Princess? Only she can truly harness the power of the Silver Crystal, and defeat the Dark Kingdom for good. I fear if she doesn't turn up soon, things will not be good."

"Well, we'll find her, then," Makoto said. "Surely she can't be too hard to find. A missing Princess from the Moon doesn't exactly blend in."

"True," Luna said. "But she may have a disguise she uses, such as you have your civilian identities to mask your lives as Sailor Senshi. And she may not know who she is. I had to awaken all of you to your true selves, and the Princess may very well be the same."

"We'll find her," Usagi said. "If we work hard and get all of the rainbow crystals, we'll find her."

"I can only hope so," Luna said. She adjourned the meeting, and Usagi pulled out her homework. It was time for the actual study session part to begin.

Later that night, Mamoru was tossing and turning in his bed. He was vaguely aware of the tangles sheets and the warm air coming in through is window, but his mind was somewhere else.

"_The Silver Crystal. Please… bring me the Silver Crystal!"_

_The mysterious woman called out to him, begging him to bring her the Silver Crystal. But why? He wished he could see who she was. She was shrouded in the mist, the moon illuminating her silhouette. All he could see was long, flowing pale hair and a long, flowing dress. Her jewelry glittered in the moonlight. But he couldn't see her face. Who was this mystery woman, and why did he feel like he knew her?_

"_The Silver Crystal," she whispered. "Bring me the Silver Crystal, and all will be revealed. Please, I beg of you. The Silver Crystal!"_

_He reached out for her, but she was gone, his hand touching only mist._

With a gasp, Mamoru woke up. It was that stupid dream again. What did it mean? He had had the same dream for as long as he can remember. Ever since he was a kid, and woke up in the hospital after the car crash that took his parents. That was the first night he dreamt of the mysterious woman. Or, at least, the first time he remembered dreaming of her. Slowly he had figured out that she was the lost Princess of the Moon. He didn't know how he knew that, as she never told him. But he knew. What he didn't know was why she wanted him to bring her the Silver Crystal, or how he was supposed to do it, when she only existed in his dreams. He ran a hand over his face, and walked over to his bedside cabinet where he kept the rainbow crystal. Turning it over in his hand, he examined it carefully. Was it really worth betraying Sailor Moon for? He knew she wanted them, to find the missing Princess. That was his goal as well, yet… he felt like he had to bring them to the Princess of his dreams. How, he didn't know. But he knew he had to. As odd as it was, he felt like he was in love with this Princess. But he felt a connection with Sailor Moon as well, and he couldn't help one without betraying the other. He groaned, and put the crystal back in the drawer, burying his head in his hands.

The next day Usagi woke to sunlight shining in through her window. She reveled for a moment in the peaceful wake up. For once there was no alarm blaring, no cat scratching, and no mother yelling. It was the weekend! But Usagi's happy mood vanished when she remembered she couldn't slack off today. Luna wanted them to do more training, and start a search for the next bearer of a rainbow crystal.

"About time you woke up," Luna said. "I was about to wake you up. Hurry up and get ready for the day, there's lots to do."

Usagi rolled over, groaning, but got up anyways. "So, what's first on our agenda?"

"First we'll be doing some training," Luna said. "We don't need to go far for this, the Hikawa Shrine is a fine location. After that, I need to discuss some urgent business. Ami has been working on a way to locate the rainbow crystal carriers."

"Another busy day," Usagi said, sighing. She knew it was her duty as a Sailor Senshi and she had to accept responsibility and all that, but there were days she would have given anything to just go back to the old normal. Go to school, get yelled at by Ms. Haruna, go to the Arcade, rink milkshakes and flirt with Motoki, run into the Baka and yell at him for a bit, and then go home and get yelled at by her mom. But those days were gone now, for better or for worse. She had finished dressing by then, and she headed downstairs to grab a quick breakfast.

"Good morning, Usagi," Ikuko said. "Are you hungry? I was just making some waffles for Shingo."

"Mm, sounds yummy," she said. Luna glared at her, and Usagi decided she didn't have time. "But I've got to go."

"Where are you going?" Ikuko asked. "It's still morning."

"Study group," she said, quickly downing a glass of orange juice. "We're all meeting at Rei's shrine."

Ikuko frowned but didn't say anything.

"See you later!" Usagi said, heading out the door.

"Don't stay out too late!" Ikuko called after her.

Usagi and Luna arrived at the shrine several minutes later, Usagi out of breath from having sprinted the last bit.

"You're late," Rei said. "But what else is new?"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Usagi said. "I got off to a late start. But anyways, what's the plan for today?"

"Training," Makoto said, walking over to where Usagi and Rei were.

"Oh boy," Usagi said. "All right, where do we start?"

"I've realized that you are mature enough now to decide what you most need to work on," Luna said. "I won't tell you what to do. You can train however you wish."

Ami pulled out her computer to do some research, and started typing away furiously.

"Hey, Usagi," Makoto said, turning to her. "Want me to teach you some karate?"

"Um… sure?" Usagi said. She was worried by the gleam in her friend's eye.

"It's a good way of building up strength and endurance, but you also get a good cardio workout."

"Okay," Usagi said. After all, what could be bad about that?

She quickly found out that lots could be bad about that. After only half an hour of sparring, Usagi collapsed to the ground, sore and out of breath.

"I give up," she panted. "You… win."

"Oh come on, Usagi, it's not that bad," Makoto said. "You just need more training."

"Ugh," Usagi groaned, but forced herself up. It was definitely a good workout, but Makoto was giving her a thorough beating.

"Let's practice a few easier moves," Makoto said. "You'll get the hang of it. And you know, karate is an excellent form of self defense. You should keep that in mind next time you get hopelessly cornered by the enemy, and Tuxedo Kamen has to swoop in to save you yet again."

"Hey!" Usagi protested. "He wouldn't have to if you guys had my back like you're supposed to."

"Uh huh," Makoto said, dodging Usagi's punch, and grinning at her. "Good throw. Nice form to it."

Usagi rolled her eyes at Makoto, and focused on avoiding he attacks.

They were still sparring when Luna came in.

"Hey Luna," Usagi said, sinking onto the floor.

"We need to discuss how to find the next rainbow crystal," Luna said. "It is imperative that we get a hold of this one. I cannot stress how important it is to the future of our entire world to get all seven rainbow crystals and find and awaken the Princess."

"Well that's great in theory and all," Usagi said. "But if we don't know who the next carrier is, how are supposed to stop the enemy? I mean, last time we just got lucky."

"True," Luna said. "Ami, have you found anything?"

Ami shook her head. "I'm afraid not. There are too many variables, I can't narrow down the search enough. All I can say is they will give off strange energy signals which we should be able to detect if we're close enough."

"Hmm…" Luna said. "Well, this might help." She jumped into the air, and a small wand with a crescent moon on it appeared,

"What's this?" Rei asked.

"This is the Crescent Moon Wand," Luna said. "It belongs to you, Usagi."

"It does?" Usagi picked up the wand and looked at it. "What does it do?"

"This will help us find the next rainbow crystal," Luna said. "If we get near it, the Crescent Moon Wand will start beeping. If you follow it, it will lead you to the next rainbow crystal."

"Uh, Luna?" Usagi asked, looking down at the wand. "It's beeping."

They all glanced over at it, and sure enough it was. Just a faint beeping, but a beeping nonetheless.

"Let's go!" Rei said.

They all sprinted out the door, the beeping ever so gradually getting louder as they followed it downtown. The beeping was getting much louder, and up ahead they saw a young priest.

"Is that him?" Makoto asked.

"I think so," Usagi said. "The Moon Wand is pointing at him."

"What do we do?" Rei asked.

"Fight," Makoto said grimly. They saw a different man, wearing the outfit of the Shitennou of the Dark Kingdom.

"Fighting it is," Usagi agreed. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

The others called out their transformations, and they rushed off to fight.

"You there!" Sailor Moon called out to the Dark Kingdom Shitennou. "How dare you terrorize innocent men who just want to help people? In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"

The man smirked at her. "You must be Sailor Moon. I've heard so much about you."

"Wish I could say the same about you," she said. "But nope, never heard a single mention of you. Zero. Zip. Zilch." She was hoping to distract him while the other Sailor Senshi could lead the priest to safety.

"What a shame," the man said. "But don't think you can fool me." He turned around, pulling out his black crystal, and the priest doubled over in agony. The orange rainbow crystal appeared, and the man snatched it.

"I'll be taking that," he said. "Oh, and I'm Zoisite. One of the great four Shitennou of the Dark Kingdom, and proud servant of Queen Beryl." He vanished into thin air before anyone could stop him.

"Damn!" Jupiter cursed. "He got away!"

"We'd better get ready to fight," Mercury said. "I don't like the looks of that."

The priest had fallen to the ground, and a wall of light went up around him. When he reemerged, he looked entirely different, In the priest's place was a youma, standing about seven feet tall with broad wings and boxing gloves.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury quickly called out, as the youma advanced on them. She pulled out her computer and started analyzing the youma. "It looks like brute force is its forte. It doesn't have any particular weakness, so we'll have to just hit it with everything we've got."

"All right then," Mars said. "Fire Soul!" Her blast of flames hit the youma squarely in the chest, but it barely stumbled.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out, doing a little more damage.

"Look out!" Sailor Moon said, pushing her friends out of the way, as the youma swung it's large fist. It hit her in the leg, and she cried out in pain.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," she said, shakily getting to her feet. Her leg hurt, especially if she put weight on it, but she'd live. As far as she could tell, nothing was broken. Just a really, really bad bruise.

"Brute force you say?" Jupiter said as the youma swung again. "Well, I can do that, too!" She ducked the youma's attack, and countered with a punch of her own. She managed to get in a few well-placed hits and kicks before the youma knocked her backwards against a tree.

"Jupiter!" Sailor Moon said, rushing to her injured friend.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury said, but it didn't stop the youma from advancing on Sailor Moon. She tried to move out of the way, but it was fast, and hopping on one leg isn't exactly a fast escape method. Right before the youma struck her, she suddenly found herself airborne, and in the arms of Tuxedo Kamen.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Fine," she said, forcing a smile. He put her down, and she filled him in on the situation.

"A man called Zoisite already took the rainbow crystal," she said. "He's another of the Shitennou of the Dark Kingdom."

"Hmm," he said. He looked like he was about to say something more, but he was cut off by the youma swinging its arm at them. They ducked just in the nick of time.

"Fire Soul!" Mars called out.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter said at the same time. The electric fire hit the youma, and knocked it backwards. Sailor Moon whipped out her crescent wand, knowing she had only a small window of opportunity.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" The wave of light hit the youma, and it screamed in agony before turning back into the human priest. She started to fall backwards, her one good leg not enough to support her, but Tuxedo Kamen caught her. Mercury rushed over the the priest to make sure he was okay.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

"I'm fine," Sailor Moon said. "Really."

"Well then," he said. "Until next time." An with a swish of his cape, he was gone.

"I can't believe we lost the rainbow crystal," Usagi moaned, burying her head in her hands.

"We'll just have to win them back," Mars said. "We'll gather all the rainbow crystals, turn them into the Silver Crystal, find the missing Moon Princess, awaken her, protect her while she battles evil, and get her to use the Silver Crystal to destroy the Dark Kingdom! Simple, right?"

Sailor Moon laughed. "Well, at least I have you by my side."

Mars smiled. "Now come on, let's get home relax a little. It's been a tough day."


	13. Art and Youmas

**AN: I'm back! Sorry for the delay, again, I've been so blocked. I keep thinking I'm over it, and then I find I'm not. BUT, I think I am back for good, so hopefully I'll get out some regular updates, so I don't have to apologize every time. **

**Thanks a billion to my awesome reviewers: James Birdsong, LoveInTheBattlefield, and sakanascales876.  
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**Oh, also one more thing: On my profile I have a poll, which so far no one has voted on. You see, I have several ideas for a 100 songs/100 oneshots challenge for Sailor Moon. But given the current speed of my updates, I'm not sure if taking on ANOTHER project is a good idea. (Especially since I have a 100 songs/100 oneshots challenge going for Doctor Who.) So if you could please weigh in on the poll, I would appreciate it. :)  
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* * *

><p>"Duck!" Sailor Mars shouted.<p>

Sailor Moon threw herself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the sharp disc that zipped over her head.

"A little more warning would have been nice," she grumbled, brushing the dirt off of her clothes.

"I just saved your life, you should be thanking me!" Mars said.

"Guys, this _really _not the time for this," Jupiter said. "Can you please save your bickering for a time when we're not fighting for our lives?"

Sailor Moon made a face, but refrained from saying anything to Mars.

"Behind you!" Mars shouted out again, and Sailor Moon and Jupiter ducked.

"Damn, that thing is fast," Jupiter muttered.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury called, giving them a bit of cover.

"All right, I got this," Mars said. "Fire Soul!"

The fire hit the youma, but seemed to do minimal damage. It only made the youma more angry, and it shot another disc towards Mars.

"Eep!" she said, stumbling backwards to avoid the disc. It hit the tree behind her instead, slicing it cleanly in half.

"Falling tree, look out!" Sailor Moon said.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out. Her thunder seemed to do a bit more damage to the youma, and Sailor Moon pulled off her tiara.

"Moon Tiara Action!" she said, finally dusting the youma.

"Glad that's over," Mars said, collapsing against the trunk of the tree. "I can't believe we have to get up for school in two hours."

Sailor Moon sighed. Their lives had been even busier than usual lately. The attacks had been getting more and more frequent, and whenever they weren't out trying to save the world, they had to deal with exams at school. Another rainbow crystal carrier had been attacked a few days ago, but at least this time they'd gotten the crystal.

"Come on, let's go home," Sailor Moon said, dropping her transformation. "I'm exhausted."

"Me too," Rei said, wincing as she got up. They'd managed to escape without any serious injuries this time, but they were all bruised, exhausted and worn to the bone.

* * *

><p>Two short hours later, Usagi was dragging herself out of bed. Her body hurt, and she felt like she couldn't keep her eyes open, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten enough sleep. She wasn't sure if he had ever felt rested since becoming Sailor Moon.<p>

"Good morning, Usagi," Ikuko said as Usagi stumbled downstairs. "You'd better hurry up, or you'll be late. I made omelets, if you have time to eat before going."

"No, I need to go or I'll be late," Usagi mumbled.

"Don't forget your lunch!" Ikuko said. "Oh, and Usagi? Please don't fail your tests today."

Usagi made a face at that, but didn't say anything, and headed out the door. She half ran, half stumbled down the street, making her way to school. She tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, and fell face first into something suspiciously human.

"Watch where you're going, Odango," Mamoru said.

"Out of my way, baka," Usagi said, pushing him away. "It's way too early in the morning to deal with you."

"Don't forget math today!" Mamoru called after her. "I want my free coffee!"

"Baka!" Usagi shouted back at him. "I don't care about your stupid free coffee, some people have more important things to worry about!"

She turned away, and started running towards school. That stupid baka was always running into her and delaying her. It was his fault she was late for school! And he always complained when she missed their math sessions, just because he wanted free coffee. She bet his life was so easy. He didn't have to save the world on a daily basis, and try and pass exams, all at the same time.

A ringing bell brought Usagi out of her reverie.

"I'm late!" she moaned. She sprinted towards the doors of the school, and raced up the stairs to her classroom. She slowly opened the door, not wanting to interrupt Ms. Haruna.

"Usagi!" Ms. Haruna said. "Come in, don't just stand there!"

Usagi hesitantly crept forward, and sat down in her chair.

"Where was I?" Ms. Haruna said. "Ah yes, for those of you who had detention scheduled for today, I'm afraid I'll have to cancel. I have a date, and I would hate to not be on time. There's so much I need to do to be ready by then, so class today will just be a free study period."

Usagi breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God for Ms. Haruna and her questionable teaching methods. She was about to settle down for a nap, when she felt something hit her elbow. It was a folded up note, from Naru.

_Usagi!_

_There's an art opening later today, right downtown. The artist is the famous Yumemi Yumeno. She's the one who paints all those gorgeous, romantic photos. Since you don't have detention, you should come!_

_-Naru_

_Sounds great! Let's meet up after school and walk over together. I could use a break; Ms. Haruna's pestering has driven me mad._

_-Usagi_

Usagi spent the rest of class passing notes with Naru, while Ms. Haruna primped for her date.

* * *

><p>"Naru!" Usagi waved her friend over. It was finally the end of the day, and they were heading over to the art exhibition.<p>

"Hey, Usagi," she said. "I'm so glad Ms. Haruna gave us the day off. Without homework, my mom would never let me go."

"Tell me about it," Usagi complained. "It was all I could do to convince my mom to go. I've been grounded for so long, I haven't been able to do anything."

"I've seen you at the Arcade a few time with some handsome dark-haired guy," Naru said. "Motoki's friend. Are you two dating?"

"Who, Mamoru?" Usagi asked. "Of course not! Like I'd ever date that baka. He's rude, selfish, mean, and just… ugh! I only spend time with him because he's tutoring me in math."

"Oh," Naru said, slightly disappointed. "So you're not dating anyone?"  
>"No way," Usagi said. "Well, unless Motoki ever comes around."<p>

Naru smiled. "Wow, look at that line of people!"

"Yeah, Yumemi Yumeno's pretty famous, isn't she?" Usagi said.

"I heard that if you have one of her paintings, it's supposed to make your dreams come true," Naru said. "Her paintings are called illustrations of love."

"How romantic," Usagi sighed. They had gotten inside the gallery now, which was filled with people. "There are so many couples here!"

"Oh wow, look at this one, Usagi," Naru said. "It's supposed to be her self-portrait."  
>"She's so beautiful," Usagi said, looking at the mysterious woman in the painting.<p>

"She never appears in public, though," Naru said. "She's very reclusive. Her self-portrait is the only thing people ever see of her."

"Maybe it's not even real, then," Usagi said. "But who cares? Her paintings are so gorgeous!"

"They really are," Naru agreed. They continued walking through the gallery until Usagi suddenly stopped. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Usagi said. "It's just this picture makes me feel so nostalgic for some reason."

The picture showed a man and a woman flying through the night. The man had on a tuxedo and a mask covering his eyes. He was holding onto a woman with long, streaming blond hair. The moon shone brightly behind them.

She shook of the feeling. "It's nothing."

"Hey, look!" Naru said, pointing outside. "Isn't that Motoki's friend? What was his name again?"

"Mamoru?" Usagi looked over. "Hey, what's he doing talking to that woman?"

"Why, are you jealous?" Naru teased.

"Of course not!" Usagi said. "But if he's dating someone I want to know! The poor woman probably doesn't know what she's gotten herself into. I've got to go check this out. I'll see you later, Naru!"

Usagi ran outside. "What are you doing to that poor woman, Mamoru?"

"Odango!" he said. "What are you doing here? And I'm not doing anything, she came up to me!"

The woman was tugging in earnest on Mamoru's sleeve when she saw Usagi. "Oh! You're perfect! I can't believe how lucky I am! Please, you two must come model for me."

"Me, a model?" Usagi said. Modeling seemed like such a glamorous thing to do. You got to dress up and have people admire you. "Well, I suppose I could."

"Oh, thank you!" the woman said. "Please, my house is nearby."

* * *

><p>They arrived at the woman's house shortly later.<p>

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" she asked. "I have coffee, tea, cookies…"

"Mm, cookies," Usagi said.

"I'll be right back," the woman said as she walked off into the kitchen.

Usagi wandered off, her attention caught by some drawings. "Say… don't these look like Yumemi Yumeno's paintings?"

A loud crash was heard in the kitchen. The woman came out, carrying the food on a tray.

"You never told us your name," Usagi said. "Are you Yumemi Yumeno?"

The woman nodded her head. "I feel like to draw such romantic images, I had to be beautiful myself. So I created a fake self-portrait, and pretended that Yumemi Yumeno was that person. But please, can we can on with the drawing?"

"Of course," Usagi said.

"Why don't you sit down on the bench next to each other," Yumemi said.

"Wait a minute," Usagi said. "Sit next to him? Why? You aren't going to portray us as a couple, are you?"

"It's nothing personal." Yumemi said. "It won't be you two. I just need you so I can draw two characters based off of you."

"This is ridiculous," Mamoru said. "I shouldn't have agreed to this. Thank you for the coffee, but I'm leaving."

"Oh no, please, you can't!" Yumemi said. "I need models so I can draw. I can't draw otherwise. Please don't go."

"Fine," he said, sitting back down.

Usagi reluctantly sat down next to him, making sure she didn't sit too close. Yumemi pulled out her easel and started drawing. She sneaked a glance sideways at him. She had to admit, aside from his horrid personality, he was pretty handsome.

"Why do you hide who you really are?" Usagi asked after a moment. "Does your image really matter that much? It's sad that you can't embrace yourself for who you are, and put yourself out there."

"Well.." Yumemi said. "I don't know. I guess I'm afraid if people saw me, they wouldn't like my paintings as much."

"Hmmm…" Usagi said. Several minutes passed in silence, until Yumemi told them they could move if they wanted. Usagi got up and wandered around, looking at the drawings. One in particular caught her eye.

"Oh, this drawing is beautiful!" she said. "Yumemi, you're so talented!"

Mamoru looked over at the painting and gasped. "What is that?"

"In this picture, she's handing him a locket as proof of her love," Yumemi said.

Usagi looked closer, and saw the star locket she'd found left on the battlefield several days ago.

"Proof of her love," Mamoru said absentmindedly.

"It's strange, but whenever I draw those two, I feel so sad," Yumemi said,

"I know what you mean," Usagi said. "Something about it seems so nostalgic, and it makes my heart ache."

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Yumemi walked Usagi home.<p>

"I'm sorry for keeping you so late," Yumemi said.

"Don't worry about it," Usagi said. "My teacher gave us the day off, so my parents can't complain."

"Good," Yumemi said. "Although, perhaps you would have preferred Mamoru to walk you home."

"What?" Usagi said. "Are you kidding me? That baka? Never! Why do people think we're together?"

Yumemi giggled. "Do people assume that often?"

"Well, you're the second person today," Usagi said. "But seriously. That's ridiculous. Absolutely insane. I would _never_. He would never! It's just… no way."

Yumemi giggled again.

They were walking past the art gallery, and Usagi paused, looking at the photo that had caught her eye earlier. "You know, I think you worry too much about what the public thinks of you. You're a very talented artist, you're nice, and you bake delicious cookies. You're a wonderful person, and I don't think looks have anything to do with that."

Yumemi paused to think about that.

"Well, I've got to go," Usagi said. "See you later!"

Usagi was walking back home when she heard a beeping coming from her bag. She dug out the Crescent Moon Wand, which was beeping furiously, and pointing in the direction she just came.

"Yumemi Yumeno's house," she muttered to herself, before running off.

When she arrived, she saw Zoisite holding a green rainbow crystal. In Yumemi's place was a youma. It was a humanoid, with big wings, and purple skin. It turned around, and starting following after Zoisite.

"Crap," Usagi muttered. She quickly pulled out her communicator. "Guys, a youma's appeared. Hurry up, it's a rainbow crystal carrier." She snapped the communicator shut, and transformed.

"Stop right there!" Sailor Moon called out. "I won't let you take the crystal, or Yumemi!"

"Vena, deal with this pest," Zoisite said.

The youma smiled, and produced a feather. The feather moved of its own accord, and quickly drew a large boulder in the air.

"Eek!" Sailor Moon said dodging the boulder which was about to fall on her head.

The youma was creating boulders faster than Sailor Moon could dodge them, and eventually she couldn't move out of the way fast enough. A rock fell on her ankle, trapping her there.

"Damnit!" she said, trying to pull her foot free, but it was no use. A huge rock was forming above her, and she braced for the impact, when suddenly she was airborne. She opened her eyes to see Tuxedo Kamen, saving her as usual.

"Thanks for that," she said.

"Are you okay?" he asked as she winced.

"Fine," she said. "My ankle hurts like hell if I put weight on it, but that's just another injury to add to the long list of injuries I've sustained while fighting."

"He's getting away!" Tuxedo Kamen said, noticing Zoisite's retreating figure. He paused for a moment. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine," she said.

Tuxedo Kamen ran off, and Sailor Moon was left alone with the youma. She hoped the Senshi would get here soon; she didn't know how much longer she could evade the attacks.

The youma sent ropes, which quickly transformed into snakes, flying towards Sailor Moon. Suddenly the snakes caught fire. Sailor Moon turned around and saw Mars and the other Senshi standing there.

"Good, you're here," she said. "I've got to go. Tuxedo Kamen and Zoistie ran off to fight over the crystal. Will you be okay here?"

"We'll be fine," Jupiter said.

Sailor Moon ran off as best she could, since her ankle hurt. She could hear Zoisite and Tuxedo Kamen talking nearby. As she arrived, she saw Zoisite throw a sharp crystal towards Tuxedo Kamen.

"Moon Tiara Action!" she quickly called out, destroying the dagger-like crystal inches away from Tuxedo Kamen. Both Zoisite and Tuxedo Kamen looked over in surprise.

"You saved my life," Tuxedo Kamen said. "Thank you."

"Just think of it as repaying the favor," she said.

Zoisite quickly disappeared, taking the rainbow crystal with him.

"Are you all right—oh no!" Sailor Moon dropped the locket on the ground.

They both reached for it at the same time.

"Sorry," Sailor Moon said. "This is your locket, isn't it? I found it on the ground several days ago, after one of the battles."

"Princess…" Tuxedo Kamen said absentmindedly.

"Do you know her?" Sailor Moon asked. "We're looking for her. It's our mission."

"No, I don't know her," he said. "But if that's your mission, you should hold onto it." He picked up the locket and placed it in her hand.

"If you're in the mood to give things away, how about that rainbow crystal?" she asked.  
>"I'm sorry," he said. "I told you earlier. I can't give you that."<p>

"Are our enemy after all?" she said.

"When it comes to the rainbow crystals, then perhaps," he said. "Goodnight, Sailor Moon." He leapt away, leaving a confused Sailor Moon behind.

She suddenly remembered that the youma hadn't been defeated yet. She hurried back to find it weakened.

"Hurry up!" Mars said. "I don't think we can keep it stunned for much longer."

"Right," Sailor Moon said. "Moon Healing Escalation!"

* * *

><p>The next day, Usagi headed over to the art gallery. Yumemi had invited her and Mamoru to see the completed painting.<p>

"It's so beautiful!" Usagi said. "I can't believe that's me."

"What's that?" Mamoru asked, pointing to a painting with a cloth over it.

"That," Yumemi said, taking the cloth off. "Is my new self-portrait. Thank you, Usagi, for your kind words. I've realized that I want to be recognized for who I am, and not some mysterious woman."

"I'm glad I could help," Usagi said. She looked back at the painting, and smiled. It was nice, for once, to be able to take a little break from all the fighting. Sure, it wasn't much of a break, since they'd had to fight for the rainbow crystal, but at least she had some time where her thoughts weren't focused entirely on the Dark Kingdom.

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><p><strong>AN: Please review!<strong>


	14. The Last Sailor Senshi

**AN: I am SO sorry for this judge delay in update! My life has been so crazy busy lately, I haven't had any time to write. The combination of being in the Nutcracker (and having rehearsals nearly every day) and being a senior in high school is just insane. I know exactly where I want this story to go, but I'm afraid I can't say when another update will be out, because my life is slightly insane.**

**Anyways, thanks, as always to my amazing reviewers: Litalove and LoveInTheBattleField. You guys get big hugs. (Although, pretty please review? I was getting some awesome reviews a few chapters ago, and I'd really like at least 3 reviews per chapter.)  
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**Also, this chapter is dedicated to sakanascales876, who will know why after she reads this chapter. :)  
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><p>Usagi sat in the Crown Arcade, thoughtfully sipping a milkshake. They had finally gathered all of the rainbow crystals, but no sign of the Princess or the Silver Crystal had appeared. Well, they themselves actually didn't have any of the rainbow crystals. Zoisite had five, Tuxedo Kamen had one, and Usagi used to have one. She flinched at the memory.<p>

Zoisite had trapped dozens of innocent civilians, and he was suffocating them. He had forced her to turn over her rainbow crystal, if she wanted to save their lives. Tuxedo Kamen had grabbed it from Zoisite, but Usagi wasn't sure whether that was better or worse. Zoisite was their enemy, she knew that. If he had the rainbow crystals, it was very bad, and they had to get them back. But at least she knew she had to fight him.

Tuxedo Kamen, however… he wouldn't give over the crystals, which meant that he was standing between them and their mission, which meant he was an enemy… but nothing else about him suggested he was. Usagi sighed, and took another sip of her milkshake. She hoped she wouldn't have to fight him.

"Something bothering you, Usagi?" Makoto asked. "You seem deep in thought."

"It's just…. I can't figure out what we're supposed to do next," she said. "We have the rainbow crystals. Or at least they've all appeared, even if we don't have any. But we're no closer to finding the Princess or the Silver Crystal than we were before."

"Maybe we need to actually have in our possession all of the rainbow crystals," Ami said. "Perhaps once we have all seven, it will give us some sort of clue as to where to find the Princess. Or perhaps she's in hiding, and will only show when she believes it's safe."

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to get the rainbow crystals?" Usagi asked. "Tuxedo Kamen only shows up when we're fighting, and it's not like he just carries the rainbow crystals with him. And Zoisite… well, he only shows up to torment us and mock us, or take the rainbow crystals. But he doesn't have the crystals on him, either. And we have no idea where to find either."

"I think this calls for an emergency Senshi meeting," Ami said. "Let's all meet up this evening, after I'm done with cram school. We can discuss it in a more private location."

"Sounds good," Rei said. "This whole situation is worrying me… something seems… off. I don't know what it is. But I sense something serious is brewing."

Ami said her goodbyes, and headed off to cram school.

* * *

><p>Zoisite was fuming. Queen Beryl has chastised him for letting the rainbow crystal fall into Tuxedo Kamen's hands. Zoisite didn't see what the big deal was. Tuxedo Kamen has two lousy crystals, and those stupid Sailor Senshi had none.<p>

He was in possession of five, which meant clearly he was doing better than anyone else. And yet still Queen Beryl had gotten mad at him. Now he had 24 hours to devise a brilliant plan to collect the other two rainbow crystals, or get rid of Tuxedo Kamen or the Senshi. If he failed, he was done for.

Scowling, he sent out a youma, hoping that at least he could do some damage and buy himself a little more time.

* * *

><p>Usagi was walking by the park, deep in thought. How were they supposed to get the rainbow crystals back? It wasn't like she could just waltz up to Zoisite or Tuxedo Kamen and nicely ask for them back.<p>

Maybe she could propose some sort of duel for them… but she didn't want to fight Tuxedo Kamen. And how could she trust Zoisite? The whole thing was giving her a headache. She was still trying to sort things out, when she saw a horse wandering through the park.

"That's odd," she thought. What was a horse doing in downtown Tokyo? It seemed very odd. Upon close inspection, Usagi realized the horse wasn't a horse, but was in fact a horse-like youma.

"Crap," she muttered. She quickly pulled out her communicator. "Guys, there's a youma in the park."

"I'm on my way," Rei said.

Usagi ducked behind a nearby tree, and called out her transformation. She really didn't feel like fighting a youma right now, but luckily this one didn't seem to be too much trouble.

"Hey you!" Sailor Moon called, dragging the youma's attention away from several civilians. But she completely forgot what she was going to say next when the horse opened its mouth. And out came a large fireball.

"PHILLIP!" the horse roared.

Sailor Moon ducked, the fireball narrowly missing her. "What kind of horse breathes _fire_?" she muttered irritably.

The horse opened its mouth again, and more fire came shooting out, heading straight for her. She didn't even have time to move. There was a moment of blistering heat as the fire came close, and then suddenly the heat was gone, and she was safely sitting in a tree.

"Are you alright?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

"Fine," she said. "That was a close one."

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "It looks like your leg got hit."

She looked down, and saw that indeed there was a part of her leg which was bright red and, now that she thought about it, was stinging. "It's fine. It doesn't hurt much."

Tuxedo Kamen didn't say anything, but he still looked worried.

"Now that you're here," Sailor Moon said. "About those rainbow crystals. What's so important to you that you need them?"

"I've told you," he said. "I have my own personal reasons for needing them, and I'm sorry, but I can't give them to you."

"Look," Sailor Moon said, starting to get a little irritated. "I'm sure you have some totally great reason. But I need them so I can find the stupid Moon Princess, whoever she may be, so then she can destroy Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom, and stop the whole world from being destroyed. Is your 'personal reason' more important than that?"

Tuxedo Kamen looked away and didn't answer her. "We should get back to the fight."

Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything as she hopped off the branch, and returned to the fight.

By now the Senshi had all gathered, and they were fighting the youma. A few trees were on fire, and panicked civilians were running everywhere. Mercury was tending to the wounded, and the dead, and Tuxedo Kamen walked off to help the Senshi. Sailor Moon sighed, and headed back into the fray.

"There you are!" Mars cried out. "Hurry up and help us, will you?"

The horse was getting more and more enraged by the minute. It seemed that the Senhsi's attacks had only served to make it pissed off, and now the fire it breathed was getting bigger and bigger. The Senshi all looked tired and battle weary, and some had tell-tale burns or scorch marks.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out. The horse hardly reacted.

"All right, time to fight fire with fire!" Mars said, sending blades of fire hurtling towards the horse. It charged forward, nearly trampling Mars in the process.

"Hey, ugly!" Sailor Moon shouted. "I don't know who you think you are, but I personally don't like it when horses try and attack me. I mean, first of all, horses shouldn't breathe fire. Don't you think that's a bit weird? But secondly, I kind of like horses, and I don't want you to ruin my impression of them. But seriously, horses shouldn't breathe fire. That's just… I don't know the word for it, but I don't like it! It doesn't make any sense; it's illogical! And I'm not a very logical person, so that's saying something, okay?"

Sailor Moon had been dodging fire balls while she was talking, but the youma seemed to have given up on that, and charged forward to attack her. But suddenly it reared up in pain, as a combination of lightning and fire hit it. While Sailor Moon had been distracting it, Mars and Jupiter had snuck up from behind and combined their attacks. The youma seemed temporarily distracted, so Sailor Moon grabbed at her chance.

"Moon Tiara Action!" She felt the familiar tingle in her body, followed by a wave of exhaustion, and she collapsed as the tiara struck its target.

"Are you all right?" Mars asked.

"I'm fine," Sailor Moon said, slowly getting to her feet. "Just exhausted." The sky was starting to turn pink; it was already dusk.

Mars left Sailor Moon's side, and walked over to help Mercury with the civilians. Sailor Moon walked away from the rest of the group, and sighed. She was so, so tired. It went beyond tired. It was sheer exhaustion, all the way down to her core. She dropped her transformation, and headed back to the Arcade, hoping maybe another one of Motoki's famous milkshakes would cheer her up.

* * *

><p>Usagi walked into the Arcade and sat down at the counter. She rested her chin in her hands, lost in thought. Motoki took one look at her, and immediately headed back into the kitchen to make her a milkshake. Usagi felt someone sit down next to her, and she looked to see who it was.<p>

"Ugh, it's you," she groaned.

"It's lovely to see you, too, Odango," Mamoru said.

"Can't you sit somewhere else? There's plenty of empty seats. Why here?" Usagi said, the last word coming perilously close to becoming a whine.

"It's not my fault you sat right where I always do," he said. "I'm not leaving, just because you're grumpy."

Usagi's eyes narrowed. She was _not_ in the mood for this right now. "I would say my mood goes a little beyond 'grumpy' right not, so kindly leave _now_, unless you want me to get angry, and believe me, I have been waiting all day for someone to push just a little too far, and you really do not want to be that person."

Mamoru seemed vaguely amused. "Are you threatening me, Odango? Because if I didn't know better, I would say you are. But that can't be right!"

That was all it took. "You listen to me, and you listen good, okay? Are you listening? Good. Because I'm not going to repeat myself. I have had such a shitty day, it's unbelievable how many things have gone wrong. And it's not just today, it's every single shitty day in my shitty life. And I am so sick and tired of you criticizing me, and demeaning me, and making me feel lousy. I get enough criticism from everywhere else in my life, I don't need it form you, too. Why do you think I stopped coming to the stupid math session? It's not because I'm too lazy, or forgetful, or any of the other reasons I'm sure you thought it was. No, it's because of _you_. It's because I'm so tired, so unbelievably tired, and all I want is for it to end, so I can stop. But it won't end. Not now, not ever. All I want is to stop, but I can't, and I can't change it, and I have to keep going, and it nearly kills me. I can't stand another minute of it, so please just _leave_!"

Usagi was crying now, and she was glad the Arcade was nearly empty. She wasn't sure when she stopped talking about Mamoru, and when she started talking about being Sailor Moon. But somewhere along the way, it stopped being about Mamoru.

"Jeez, Odango, what's with you today?" Mamoru said, but he didn't sound as amused as before. For a split second, he almost looked sorry, and like he was about to say something else to her, but then it disappeared.

Usagi took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. "I just want it to end," she mumbled sadly. She got up and left, not bothering to apologize or explain to Mamoru or Motoki about her sudden outburst.

* * *

><p>At the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite was worried. His youma had been a huge failure, it hadn't done any significant damage. And now we had that much less time to come up with a plan to save his life. Suddenly, he had an idea. It would be hard to pull off, and it would require a lot of energy… but if it succeeded, his life would not only be spared, but he would be hailed as the greatest Shitennou.<p>

He rushed off to find Kunzite. The plan was brilliant, but it would be too hard to pull off alone.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, the Senshi and Luna all gathered at Rei's shrine for the meeting. Rei greeted them with a grim face.<p>

"Come in," she said. "There's something you should see."

"What's the matter, Rei?" Ami asked.

"I was watching the news earlier," she said as she led them into the house. "And I saw something… peculiar."

Rei opened the door to the room, and walked over to the TV. She flicked it on, and the reporter's voice on the screen came into focus.

"Everyone has heard the name Sailor Moon, but no one really knows who she is. She only appears when there are monsters to fight, and she never stops to talk. But it seems like lately the mysterious heroine is changing her tune. Earlier today, there was a bank robbery right downtown, which Sailor Moon foiled. It's nice to see Tokyo's favorite heroine coming out into public more open. And in other news…"

Rei turned the TV off. "I assume that wasn't you, Usagi."

"Of course it wasn't!" Usagi said. "I don't have any time to foil bank robberies, I'm busy enough saving the world. Besides, that Sailor Moon doesn't look anything like me."

"Well, anyways, that begs an important question," Luna said. "Who is she, and what does she want?"

"This is weird," Usagi said. "Why is there a fake Sailor Moon? _I'm_ Sailor Moon," she added, a tad grumpy.

"Perhaps we should try and locate her," Ami said. "If I got close enough to her, or had a personal belonging of hers, I could run some tests."

"Good idea, but it might be a little difficult," Makoto said. "How are we supposed to find her?"

"I think we should just keep an eye on her," Rei said. "While it is a little odd that there's a Sailor Moon imposter, how bad can it be? I mean, she foiled a bank robbery. Maybe she's just some sort of weird, crazy fan."

"I still don't like the thought of her impersonating me," Usagi said. "Even if she is a fan."

Rei rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop being such a baby. You're not all that important."

"Hey, you're the one who said she might be a fan!" Usagi protested.

"Yeah, but I said weird and crazy fan," Rei said. "Which goes without saying. I don't know why anyone would ever be a fan of you."

"Rei!" Usagi said. "How could you say that? You're so mean to me!"

"Well, you deserve it!" Rei said.

"Can we please get back to the topic at hand?" Luna said.

"Fine," Usagi said. "Well, it's true she doesn't seem to be much of a threat. So why don't we leave her alone for now and see what happens? I vote we just ignore her, and go home." She yawned, punctuating her sentiments.

Luna looked annoyed for a minute, but her expression softened when she saw how truly tired Usagi was. "That sounds like a good idea. Ami, see what you can find on her, and if she starts doing anything suspicious, let us know right away."

"Of course," Ami said.

"Well, then, that's all," Luna said.

They disbanded, and Usagi staggered out the door, suppressing another yawn. Blowing up at Mamoru had really exhausted her. Of course, fighting a fire-breathing horse youma might have something to do with it as well, but still.

* * *

><p>The next day was a Saturday, which Usagi was very grateful for. She and Makoto had plans to go downtown, watch the latest Sailor V movie, and get some much needed rest and relaxation. Originally Ami and Rei were going to join them, but Ami had cram school, and Rei had to help out at the shrine. Still, Usagi was glad she could spend some time with at least one of her friends when they weren't fighting for their lives. Usagi headed downtown after eating breakfast, and met Makoto in the park.<p>

"Hey, Usagi!" Makoto said. "I just stopped by the movie theater, and the line for the movie is incredibly long. How about we catch the second showing instead?"

Usagi pouted. "Fine. I guess I can wait. Let's go get ice cream!"

Makoto laughed as Usagi pulled her over to an ice cream stand 20 feet away.

After they got their ice cream, they walked towards the center of town, Usagi chatting animatedly.

"I'm so excited about the new Sailor V movie!" she said. "She's so amazing… hey, do you think Sailor V is like us? Wow, how cool would it be to work with her? I bet she's an amazing fighter."

"It would be cool to meet her," Makoto admitted. "Although if she is like us, why wouldn't she have sought us out by now? Maybe she's different."

Usagi contemplated that while taking a bite of her ice cream. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a scream.

"What was that?" Makoto said, taking off towards the sound of the scream, Usagi following close behind.

A short distance up ahead, two maintenance workers were hanging from a side of a building. The ropes holding up the platform they had been standing on had snapped, and they were about to fall.

"We have to do something!" Usagi said.

Just as she said that, a figure came swooping down, and rescued the two men.

"Hey, look, it's Sailor Moon!" someone shouted.

"But _I'm_ Sailor Moon!" Usagi complained. "It's not fair! She swoops in and saves a few guys from falling to their death and gets all this credit, whereas I save the entire world from destruction every single day and I'm never appreciated!"

"Usagi… just calm down for now, okay?" Makoto said. "You know Luna and the others will want to hear about this. We should contact them and follow her."

"You're right," Usagi said. She pulled out her communicator and called the other Senshi. "Guys, we ran into the fake Sailor Moon again, right downtown. She's escaping, but we're going to follow her. Hurry up and join us!"

Makoto and Usagi took off in the same direction as the fake Sailor Moon had gone, following her into an industrial area. There weren't any people around, just pipes and boxes.

"Hey, wait up!"

Usagi turned around to see Rei, Ami and Luna running after them.

"We came as quickly as we could," Rei said. "Now, which way did she go?"

"This way," Makoto said, pointing down a dark alley. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Mamoru, meanwhile, was also following the mysterious Sailor Moon. He had been there the entire time, and he was highly suspicious. Those cables didn't just break on their own, it looked like something—or someone—was cutting it on purpose.<p>

But it couldn't be Sailor Moon, could it? He had worked with her, and he thought he knew her, at least a little. And there was no way someone who spent so much time risking her own life for the sake of others would purposely cut the cables on that platform.

But… he was so sure of what he , something seemed a little off about the Sailor Moon he saw… could it be possible it wasn't really her? He didn't know. All he knew was he needed to find out.

* * *

><p>Usagi, Rei, Makoto, Ami and Luna were all running down the alley, searching for any sign of the mysterious Sailor Moon.<p>

"Where did she go?" Makoto complained.

"Wait!" Usagi skidded to a stop. "What's that, up ahead?"

At the end of the alleyway, they could see the fake Sailor Moon tied up and hanging from a crane, with a mysterious man nearby. Usagi rushed forward, but Rei stopped her.

"Wait!" she said. "Don't be so hasty, it could be a trap."

"So?" Usagi said. "I can't just abandon someone in need! Isn't that what we're supposed to do, anyways? Rescue innocent people from the Dark Kingdom?"

"But how do we know she's innocent?" Rei said. "Remember, she has been impersonating you and we don't know what her intentions are."

"I'd bet you anything that guy is from the Dark Kingdom, and anyone who's being attacked by the Dark Kingdom is someone worth saving."

Rei looked between Usagi and the fake Sailor Moon. "You're right. Let's just hope this isn't a trap. I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Come on!" Usagi said, and called out her transformation. After everyone had transformed, they rushed out of the alleyway to confront

"Hey you!" she called out. "What do you think you're doing, tormenting some poor fan girl? _I'm_ Sailor Moon, and I'm the one you want, so come face me like a man!"

The mysterious man just laughed. "Ah, what an… _honor_ it is to finally meet you face to face," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The famous Sailor Senshi, here in the flesh. I assure you, this will be the very last time we meet."

"You bet it will," Sailor Moon said. "We're going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to the Dark Kingdom!"

The man laughed again, and held up his hands. "I am Kunzite, one of the four noble Shitennou of the Dark Kingdom. You won't be 'kicking my sorry ass' anywhere. Say goodbye, Senshi!" From his hands dark magic shot out, forming a circle around the Senshi.

"Run!" Jupiter said, grabbing Sailor Moon by the hand. The Senshi all took off running, but they could escape the dark magic. The circle rose, creating a dome around them.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter said, firing at the wall of the circle. But her efforts were in vain, and the magic was merely absorbed.

"You're not going to beat me with pathetic magic like that," Kunzite said. "I could just let you stay here forever, but that's awfully boring. Take this!" He dropped a handful of grenades into the circle, which exploded on touch.

"Duck!" Sailor Moon said, shoving Mars to the ground. The grenade exploded a mere inches from them.

"I refuse to believe we can't beat him!" Mars said, standing up. She closed her eyes in concentration. "Fire Soul!"

A powerful ball of flame shot towards the wall, but like with Jupiter's attack, it was simply absorbed.

"Oh, when will you Senshi learn?" Kunzite mocked. "You cannot defeat me!"

The circle started to contract rapidly, and the Senshi all rushed to the middle.

"What do you think happens if you get hit by the edge of that?" Jupiter asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good," Mercury said. With a sigh, she turned off her computer and visor. She'd been scanning the dome, to see if there was any way out. "I'm afraid it's useless, I can't find any worthwhile information."

"Damn it all!" Mars said, swearing loudly.

"I am _not _going to die here," Sailor Moon said. "No way. Not after everything we've been through together!"

The circle was now half the size it was when Kunzite first created it, and it was shrinking at an alarming rate.

* * *

><p>Mamoru, meanwhile, was searching for Sailor Moon. Or the fake Sailor Moon, he still wasn't sure what was going on.<p>

He knew she'd disappeared back into this alleyway, but he couldn't find her. Where could she be? He came to the end of the alleyway, and saw something up ahead. He rushed ahead, and found Sailor Moon tied to a crane, seemingly unconscious.

In an instant, he was Tuxedo Kamen, and he rushed off to rescue Sailor Moon. He didn't know if it was the real Sailor Moon, or the fake one, or if there even was a fake one, but he couldn't leave her hanging there. And besides, he could tell Sailor Moon was in danger, so maybe that was the real Sailor Moon.

The second after he cut her loose and brought her safely the ground, lightning struck the crane. Tuxedo Kamen picked up the unconscious Sailor Moon, and carried her to a nearby warehouse, hoping he could get some answers there.

All of a sudden, he felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder. He turned around and saw Sailor Moon, awake and holding a sharp crystal with an evil glint in her eye.

"Sailor… Moon?" he asked, confused and hurt.

"Oh, Tuxedo Kamen, you're so gullible," Sailor Moon said, dropping her disguise to reveal Zoisite. "Did you really think I was your precious Sailor Moon?"

"Where is she?" he demanded, clutching his wounded shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry about her," Zoisite said with a laugh. "I'm sure Kunzite is taking care of her and the rest of the Senshi brats. She should be dead in no time."

Tuxedo Kamen paled at that. He realized he'd fallen into a trap, and worse than that, Sailor Moon was still in danger.

"Well, my dear Tuxedo Kamen," Zoisite said. "I'm afraid this is goodbye!" Another crystal, the length of a sword, appeared in his hand, and he lunged out at Tuxedo Kamen.

He blocked the attack with his cane, but Zoisite was ruthless, attacking again and again, giving Tuxedo Kamen no chance to go on the offensive.

"Zoi!" Zoisite shouted, using magic to blow off Tuxedo Kamen's mask.

Tuxedo Kamen panicked, and turned his face away from Zoisite. He couldn't reveal his identity, but he couldn't fight without seeing what he was doing. He realized there was no choice. He turned around to face Zoisite, struggling against the sword.

Zoisite smirked. "Enough of this play. It's time for you to die!" He was about to deliver the finishing blow, when something struck his hand, causing him to drop his sword.

"What was that?" he cried out, cradling his injured hand.

Tuxedo Kamen used this opportunity to grab his mask, and escape.

* * *

><p>Queen Beryl had been watching the whole fight from her crystal ball, and she was shocked by what she had seen.<p>

She had seen the face of Tuxedo Kamen, and he looked so familiar. Could it be…? But no, that was impossible. She had killed him, long ago, when he chose some stupid princess over her. But then again, the Sailor Senshi were foes she had fought before… maybe it wasn't as impossible as she thought.

A thought came to her, and she smiled. She knew just what she was going to do now.

* * *

><p>The Senshi were still trapped in the dome of dark magic, which was barely big enough to hold them now. Some sort of dark energy coursed through it, nearly bringing Sailor Moon to her knees.<p>

"Hold… on…" she said to her Senshi, who had all fallen. "You guys… need to be… strong."

"But… what are we… supposed to… do?" Mars forced out, barely able to breathe from the pain.

Another wave of dark magic hit them, and Sailor Moon fell to her knees, unable to take it anymore.

Zoisite appeared, looking worried. "Tuxedo Kamen got away," he said. "But more importantly than that, someone attacked me. I thought you had all the Sailor Senshi under control!"

"I do," Kunzite said. "Who was it who attacked you?"

"I couldn't see a face," Zoisite said.

"Well, don't worry, I'm sure it's not important," Kunzite said. He then spoke louder, calling out so anyone could hear. "Tuxedo Kamen, I know you're out there! Your precious Sailor Moon and all her Senshi are going to die if you don't come out here. I'll make you a deal—the lives of the Senshi for your rainbow crystals. It seems fair, doesn't it? Two crystals for four lives is positively generous!"

"Don't.. do it!" Sailor Moon managed to force out. Regardless of what situation she was in, regardless if she even _died_, they couldn't let the Dark Kingdom have all of the rainbow crystals. Or worse, find the Moon Princess.

Tuxedo Kamen was hiding in an alley right next to where the Senshi were trapped. He looked at the crystals in his hand, and then back at Sailor Moon and the Senshi. What was he to do? He knew that if the Dark Kingdom got their hands on all of the rainbow crystals, it would be disastrous. But he couldn't, he _wouldn't_ let Sailor Moon or the other Senshi die. He needed to make up his mind, and fast.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" Zoisite mocked. "Sailor Moon is getting steadily weaker!"

The Senshi were all struggling to breathe and stay conscious from the pain of it all, but it was getting harder by the second.

Slowly, Tuxedo Kamen stepped out, still clutching his injured shoulder.

"A wise choice," Zoisite said. "Now hand over the crystals!"

Suddenly, a beam of light hit Kunzite's hand, interrupting to the connection, and breaking the dome. The Senshi were freed, and gasped for air, the pain gone.

"What was that?" Kunzite asked, looking around frantically. "Who's there?"

A mysterious girl stood on the ledge of a nearby building, her figure silhouetted. She stepped into the light, revealing herself.

"Sailor V!" Sailor Moon said, shocked. Sailor V was real, and their ally?

Sailor V smiled. "I am Sailor Venus, the last of the Sailor Senshi."

"But you said all the Sailor Senshi were trapped!" Zoisite said.

"They were!" Kunzite said. "But no matter, we shall simply kill all of you."

"Wait!" a voice said. "Kunzite, Zoisite, come back immediately."

"But, Queen Beryl!" Zoisite said, his tone practically a whine.

"Enough, Zoisite!" she said. "Both of you, come back immediately, our plans have changed."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Kunzite said. He turned to the Senshi, "Don't think we're done with you. We will be back to finish you off."

He and Zoisite disappeared, teleporting back to the Dark Kingdom. Tuxedo Kamen had also disappeared, so it left the Sailor Senshi standing there alone.

"Sailor V?" Sailor Moon asked, still not really believing what she saw.

"Please, call me Sailor Venus," she said. "Sailor V was a codename I went by before I found you."

"And I'm Artemis," said a white cat, as it appeared by her side.

"Artemis?" Luna, who had come over after the fight was finished looked shocked.

"It's good to see you, too, Luna," Artemis smiled.

"Do you two know each other?" Mars asked.

"We all used to know each other, in our past lives," Artemis said. "Sailor Venus and I have always been part of the Senshi team."

"Wow," Sailor Moon said.

"It will be nice to have an extra ally," Mercury said. "We could use all the help we can get in this fight."

"Yeah, welcome to the team, Venus!" Jupiter said.

"Hey, wait!" Sailor Moon said as an idea came to her. "Are you the mysterious Moon Princess we're looking for?"

Sailor Venus smiled, but shook her head. "No, I am looking for her as well. Long ago, in our past lives, I was the Princess' closest friend, and the leader of the Senshi." She looked up at the sky, and at the moon that was rising in the sky. "It feels good to be a team again."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please review! The reviews really make writing this worthwhile. :)<strong>


	15. The Moon Princess Revealed

**AN: Well, it's been a little while since the last update... sorry, guys, I'm just insanely bus this year. Anyways, I don't have much to say about this chapter, so I'll keep this AN short.**

**Thanks to my fantastic reviewers: Guest, Directioner, championofjustice27, LovetoLove, AM, LoveInTheBattleField, Litalove, and sakanascaled876. (Also, possibly two more 'Guest's, since there were 3, and I don't know if it's the same person or different people.) You guys rock so much, I asked for more reviews, and bam! I get a ton. :) Why can't my Doctor Who reviewers be like you?**

**Special thanks to Guest (one of them, at least) for pointing out that I accidentally made Sailor Moon kill an innocent human in chapter 12. It's all fixed now!**

* * *

><p>Mamoru sat in his apartment, thinking about the previous night's events. How could he have been so stupid? He nearly let Sailor Moon and all the other Senshi die. Even after he'd stepped out to give over the crystals, he wasn't sure if he was going to follow through with it.<p>

And all for what? Some mysterious princess he didn't even know? Having all of the rainbow crystals in the possession of the Dark Kingdom would be disastrous, yes, but it was something he and the Senshi could fix together. Sailor Moon and her Senshi all dying however… that was not something that could be fixed. He groaned, burying his head in his hands.

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself," a voice mocked.

Mamoru looked up in surprise, and saw Zoisite on his television screen.

"Surprised to see me?" he said. "You should be, Mamoru. Or do you prefer Tuxedo Kamen?"

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"Oh, we have our ways," Zoisite said. "Now, as much as I do love taunting you, I'm here for a reason. I propose a duel. You bring your rainbow crystals, and I'll bring mine. We fight, honestly of course, and the victor gets all seven crystals."

Mamoru narrowed his eyes. "How do you know I can trust you?"

"Oh, you can't," Zoisite said, laughing. "But I know you'll come anyways. Don't you want to get the crystals from the evil bad guys?" he voice turned mocking again. "The duel will be held at sundown, at the Starlight Tower. Come alone."

"I haven't agreed to the duel yet," Mamoru said.

"Like I said, I know you will," Zoisite smirked. "I'm off now. Oh, and Mamoru? That shoulder looks awfully painful, you should get it looked at. I'd hate for you to not be able to participate fairly in our duel."

With another cackle, Zoisite disappeared.

Mamoru clenched his fists in anger. Zoisite was right, of course he would go. He didn't trust Zoisite, not one bit, but he would do what he had to in order to get ahold of all seven rainbow crystals.

* * *

><p>"There, I did it," Zoisite said. "Although I don't see why couldn't have just killed him when we had the chance."<p>

"Beryl says she wants him alive," Kunzite reminded him. "You know that."

"I do," Zoisite said, holding a hand to his cheek. "But he will pay for making a fool out of me."

"Don't let your revenge become out of control," Kunzite warned. "You know our Queen is not terribly forgiving."

"I won't," Zoisite promised. Under his breath, he added, "Beryl won't have to know a thing about what I plan to do…"

* * *

><p>Usagi rolled out of bed, grateful it was a Saturday. He whole body was sore from the fight yesterday, and she had a killer headache. She grabbed an aspirin from the medicine cabinet, and went downstairs, hoping her mother was cooking something tasty. To her dismay, the kitchen was empty, and there was a note on the fridge.<p>

"_Usagi,_

_I've gone out to get some groceries, and your father is off at a meeting. Shingo's at a friend's house. I'll be back around noon, and your father should be back shortly after. If you're hungry, there are some eggs and bacon, and cereal in the cupboard._

_~Ikuko"_

Usagi glanced at the clock- it was 10 AM, which meant her mother had probably just left. She sighed, and opened up the fridge. She saw the eggs and bacon her mother was talking about, and pulled them out.

She dragged out a frying pan, and carefully lit the stove. Once the pan was hot, she cracked the eggs and put down a few strips of bacon. A few minutes later, her breakfast was ready. The bacon was a tiny bit burnt, and the eggs weren't completely cooked in one place, but she thought it was a pretty good job.

After breakfast, Usagi headed over to the Arcade, hoping a youma wouldn't get in the way of her blowing her allowance money of the games and drinking Motoki's best malted milkshakes.

"Hey, Usagi," Motoki greeted her as she walked through the door. "How are you? You looked pretty upset yesterday."

"Oh that," Usagi laughed, brushing it off. "That was nothing! Just stress from school."

Motoki nodded, but still looked worried. "Speaking of school, how's your tutoring with Mamoru been going?"

"Absolutely terrible!" Usagi groaned. "He is a terrible, terrible teacher. And an awful person with a cold heart and no soul and no feelings, and I hate him, and I just wish he would leave me alone! He just makes me so mad!"

"Gee, what high praise, Odango," Mamoru said, strolling through the door. "Nice to know you think so highly of me."

Usagi stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'll have a cup of coffee," Mamoru said to Motoki. "Black, piping hot, the usual."

"The usual for you as well, Usagi?" Motoki asked.

"Actually," she said. "Unlike Mr. Baka Boring Pants here, I think I'll try something new! I'll have a strawberry milkshake."

Mamoru snorted. "Strawberry is such a joke. If you're going to drink something that's sweet and rots your teeth, at least go with chocolate."

"No one asked you for your opinion," Usagi said. "And no one cares."

"Ouch," Mamoru said, feigning hurt.

Usagi stuck her tongue out at him again, and walked over to the arcade games, eager to play the new Sailor V game. Especially since Sailor Venus was now real, and on her side, it would be interesting to play the games.

"Blowing your allowance on such trivial things again, Odango?" Mamoru sighed, shaking his head. "If you're going to rot your teeth with milkshakes, you should at least try and do some work to make up for it."

"Well, unlike you I know how to have _fun_," Usagi said. "You're always working and being boring, which is clearly why no one except for Motoki likes you!"

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "I know how to have fun."

"Oh yeah?" Usagi said. "Prove it!"

"I can't prove that I know how to have fun!" he said irritably. "Believe it or not, I find reading fun.

"I don't believe it," she said. "If you manage to beat me at a game of Sailor V then I will... I don't know, do something!"

"Fine," Mamoru said. "If I beat you at a game of Sailor V, then you have to drink coffee for the next week."

"Week?" Usagi said. "That's ridiculous. How about just one day? And if _I_ win, then you have to buy me a strawberry milkshake."

"What, you're not going to force me to drink a milkshake?" Mamoru smirked.

"Milkshakes are delicious," Usagi said. "Forcing you to drink one wouldn't be punishment."

"Fine," Mamoru said. "I win, you have to order coffee next time you're here. You win, I buy you a strawberry milkshake."

"Deal," Usagi said.

Mamoru smirked and came over to the arcade games. "You can go first."

Usagi was confident in her abilities to win. She had played the game countless times, and although she still struggled with the harder levels, Mamoru had never played the game before.

"Watch and learn, baka," she said. The game started off well, with Usagi managing to get best the first truly difficult boss with relative ease, and even picking up a few bonus points. She got to the underwater level, however, and flinched a bit as Sailor V died. She could never make it past that level. Luckily, she had gotten a pretty high score, and she doubted Mamoru could beat it.

"That's the best you can do?" he said. "Pathetic."

"I'd like to see you do better!"

"Oh, I will," he promised. He strolled over to the Sailor V game, entered his coins and started playing. To her surprise, he was doing well. He moved along smoothly, and before long he was at the underwater level. Usagi was surprised he had gotten that far, but she knew he wouldn't be able to beat it.

"This is how it's done, Odango," Mamoru said, and navigated the on-screen Sailor V past monsters that tried to kill her, and got her out of the underwater level before time ran out.

"But… but…" Usagi was at a loss for words. "How is that possible?"

"It's easy, Odango," he said. "You just need brains. Now, I've beaten you, so there's no need to continue."

The onscreen Sailor V died, and game over flashed across the screen.

Usagi pouted and stormed over to the counter. "Motoki, a coffee. Please."

"Black," Mamoru added. "No cream or sugar allowed."

She shot him a death glare and settles down on a stool.

"Here you go, Usagi," Motoki said, returning a few minutes later with the coffee. He shot her a sympathetic look before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Usagi shuddered, and slowly brought the coffee to her lips. She took a sip and gagged, nearly spitting it everywhere. "Ugh, that stuff is disgusting!"

"Drink up, Odango," Mamoru said.

She slowly took another sip, making a face while she did.

Mamoru sat watching her with his ever-present smirk as she tried not to spit out the coffee. After a few more minutes of this, he caved. "Alright, Odango, you don't have to finish it. It's highly amusing, but it's such a waste of good coffee."

Usagi stuck her tongue out at him. "I can't believe you drink that stuff, it's revolting."

"It's an acquired taste," Mamoru said.

He looked like he was about to say something else, but a loud, insistent beeping cut them off.

"Oh, shoot," Usagi said. She rifled through her bag and pulled out her communicator. "I gotta go. Uh, family emergency."

She flew out the door, sprinting in the direction of the downtown area. Mamoru simply blinked, wondering what it had all been about. Whatever she pulled out of her bag didn't look like any kind of phone he had seen before, and her 'family emergency' didn't seem terribly convincing.

Moments later, Mamoru felt the little nagging something in the back of his mind, the little tugging that meant Sailor Moon needed his help.

"I have to go," he said to a bewildered Motoki. "Thanks for the coffee."

He ran towards the direction he could feel Sailor Moon was in, and let himself transform as he ran along. A thought suddenly occurred to him, which made him stop dead in his tracks.

Usagi had run off in the direction of downtown with hastily constructed excuses. Minutes later, he felt Sailor Moon's presence near the downtown area. And there were other times, too. Times when Usagi would mysteriously disappear, and Sailor Moon would suddenly show up minutes later.

But… it was impossible, right? Mamoru shook the thought off, and started heading towards Sailor Moon again. There was no way Usagi was Sailor Moon. Even if, now that he thought about it, they did look sort of similar. But it was impossible.

* * *

><p>Sailor Moon, meanwhile, was busy fighting a youma.<p>

"Mercury, can't you—ow!—hurry up and tell us how to defeat this stupid thing?" Jupiter asked, dodging blows from a youma. It was your standard, run-of-the-mill Dark Kingdom youma. Spiky and spiny, it threw razor-sharp spikes towards them with alarming accuracy.

"I'm working on it!" Mercury cried, her fingers typing away. "Here, this will help. Shabon Spray!"

A cool mist settled over the battlefield, providing some cover from the youma.

"Fire Soul!" Mars shouted, temporarily disabling the youma. "Now, Sailor Moon!"

"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to tell me twice," she said. "Moon Tiara Action!"

The tiara hit its mark, and although the youma screamed in pain, it fought the tiara off.

"Uh… what was _that_?" Jupiter asked. "I don't like this!"

"The youma are getting stronger," Mercury said. "We need to focus."

"Crescent Beam!"

A ray of golden light pierced the youma, which doubled over in agony. Everyone looked over at the newcomer who had cast the ray.

"Sorry I'm late," Sailor Venus said. "I was all the way across town when I heard the news."

"Well, good to have you here now," Sailor Moon said.

"So, what's the news on the youma?" Venus asked.

"Well, we're still waiting for Mercury to determine what it's weaknesses are," Jupiter said, shooting Mercury a dark look.

"Sorry!" Mercury said, typing away. "I'm trying, but it's a little difficult."

"Anyways," Mars said. "The youma's pretty tough. Sailor Moon's tiara didn't work on it, so we need to weaken it more."

While the Senshi were discussing a plan of action, they didn't notice the youma prepare to attack again. Suddenly, a rose struck the youma, blocking the attack.

"Need some help?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

"Thanks for that," Sailor Moon said.

"Aha!" Mercury said. "I managed to finally decode the youma's information files. It is primarily plant based, so water nourishes it, but fire will harm it most."

"Great," Mars said. "Burning Mandala!" The blades of fire hit the youma, and it screamed in pain.

"Come on, Sailor Moon, you can do this," Jupiter encouraged.

Sailor Moon pulled out her Moon Scepter, and focused all her energy on the youma. "Moon Scepter Elimination!" she cried out, and the youma turned to dust. Her world tilted sideways, but before she could fall to the ground, Tuxedo Kamen caught her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine," she said. "Just a bit light-headed."

He helped her to stand up, but she noticed he winced a little.

"How's your shoulder?" she asked. "It looked pretty badly injured."

"It's fine," he said. "I have to go now."

With a swish of his cape, he was gone. Sailor Moon sighed. She wished she could just talk with him, and figure out why he wouldn't give up the rainbow crystals.

All she knew is that he had 'personal reasons' which he wouldn't reveal, and wouldn't say why they were so important. She knew that if he didn't give them over soon, she would have to treat him as an enemy, and get the crystals at any cost. But she really did not want to do that.

* * *

><p>Mamoru was strolling through the park, absentmindedly gazing at the flowers. He had very little time left until sundown, when he was supposed to meet Zoisite for the duel. He pulled out the rainbow crystals he had hidden in his jacket and turned them over in his hand.<p>

What would happen if he got all seven rainbow crystals? Would the mysterious woman from his dreams show up? Was she even real? He didn't know. He wasn't even sure if he _wanted_ to know. What if it turned out to be nothing? What if it wasn't worth it?

He knew Sailor Moon was trying to find the Moon Princess, who was supposed to save the world from destruction. He knew it was his duty to protect Sailor Moon, and help her on her mission. But… he just knew he had to get the Silver Crystal in his possession.

"Hey, baka! You have a bee on your back. There! Got it."

Mamoru winced as Usagi hit his wounded shoulder.

"Odango," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a public park, baka," she said, rolling her eyes. "I don't have to have an excuse for enjoying the park, do I?"

"No, I suppose not," he said, smiling. "You seem awfully cheerful today. What's going on?"

"Jeez, do I have to have a reason for everything I do?" Usagi said. "I can't help it if I'm a cheerful person all the time! I'd prefer to be optimistic instead of a pessimistic baka like you!"

Mamoru laughed. "I'm glad. Keep it up."

The sun was starting to set, and Mamoru knew he had to go. He nodded goodbye to Usagi, and walked off.

* * *

><p>That was weird, Usagi thought. Mamoru was nice to her! Okay, he had his moments, so it wasn't <em>that <em>weird. But still. Something seemed off about him.

Usagi saw something red out of the corner of her eye, and looked down at her hand, which had a distinct smear of blood on it. She knew she wasn't injured, so it must be from Mamoru.

She looked off at his retreating form, and knew she had to follow him. Something about this just wasn't right.

She ran off after him, her thoughts going a mile a minute. Why was Mamoru injured? Why wasn't he seeking medical attention for it? Where could he have possibly been injured?

And, in the back of her mind, a little nagging voice reminded her that Tuxedo Kamen had a very similar shoulder injury. She stopped in her tracks. Mamoru, Tuxedo Kamen? That was impossible! But… there were some similarities. Still, she shook the thought off. How could the stupid baka who tormented her be her masked savior?

She ran off again, determined to follow Mamoru.

* * *

><p>Mamoru arrived at the base of the tower, and looked around, wondering what he was supposed to do next. Just as he thought that, an orange ball of light surrounded him.<p>

"Uh… what's going on?" a nervous voice from behind him said.

He spun around and saw Usagi, eyes wide and glancing around at the orange light, which had surrounded her as well.

"Usagi!" he said. "What are you doing here? You have to leave, now!"

"Uh…" Usagi said, looking around frantically.

The next thing he knew, Mamoru was inside the Starlight Tower which an unconscious Usagi next to him. He looked around at his surroundings. The orange light must have been some kind of teleport.

"So, you made it," Zoisite said. "Although I did say come alone."

"She's no one," Mamoru said. "Don't hurt her, she's an innocent civilian."

"Of course," Zoisite smirked. "I have absolutely no desire to harm her." He chuckled silently to himself. Mamoru didn't need to know anything of his plan. "Now, here's how our little duel will work. I'll put my crystals here in the center, and you do the same. Whoever wins the battle wins all seven crystals."

He walked forward, and placed his crystals in the center of the room.

Mamoru hesitantly did the same, and then stepped back to face Zoisite. "Alright, now what?"

Zoisite laughed. "Oh, you're so gullible."

Another man appeared in the center, and Mamoru recognized him as the man who had trapped the Senshi the other day.

"You lied!" Mamoru said. "This wasn't a fair duel, you tricked me."

He pulled a rose out of his jacket and threw it at the man holding the crystals, but he disappeared in time. The rose hit Zoisite instead, scratching his cheek.

"Why, you!" Zoisite seethed. "You will pay for hurting me!"

* * *

><p>Usagi, meanwhile, was just waking up. She rubbed her head, confused at first as to where she was and what had happened. She remembered following Mamoru, and then something weird was going on, and she was… teleported?<p>

She looked at her surroundings. Yes, she was definitely teleported. A cry brought her attention to what was going on in front of her. Why was Mamoru fighting Zoisite? Why was Mamoru even here?

She realized that they must have figured out who she was, and taken Mamoru as well, since he was nearby.

"You'll pay for that," Zoisite said, clutching his cheek. "If you want the crystals back, come to the top floor." With that, he disappeared.

A sudden chill entered the room, and the whole room started to freeze over. A large chunk of the floor fell, making Usagi jump.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Mamoru yelled, grabbing Usagi's hand and pulling her up. The floor was rapidly collapsing, and icicles were falling from the ceiling as well.

"What the hell is going on?" Usagi shouted while they sprinted away from the crumbling floor.

"No time to explain," Mamoru said. "Look, there's an elevator up ahead, get inside!"

They reached the elevator, and Usagi punched the button frantically. "Aren't you supposed to take the _stairs_ in case of an emergency?" she muttered.

"What stairs?" Mamoru asked.

"Good point," Usagi said, glancing around, "C'mon, hurry up!"

There was hardly any floor left now. With an agonizingly slow chime, the elevator doors opened, and Usagi and Mamoru tumbled inside.

"We're safe," Usagi said, collapsing against the wall.

"Not so fast," he said. The two of them watched as the elevator door disappeared, and the elevator morphed into a strangely plant-like object. It didn't seem to be harmful, but they knew the danger was far from over.

* * *

><p>Rei, Ami, Makoto and Luna were all gathered at the Hikawa Shrine, waiting for Usagi to show up so they could start their meeting.<p>

"This is ridiculous," Luna said. "Where could she be?"

"I don't know," Rei said. "But I'm worried. I mean, yeah, Usagi's never been great with time, but this is really late, even for her. Do you think something could have happened?"

"Maybe so…." Makoto said. "But what? If there was a youma, she would have used her communicator."

"Is this the Hikawa Shrine?"

Rei looked over, and saw a young, pretty blond girl standing there. She was dressed in a school uniform, and had a white cat with her.

"Are you…?" Rei trailed off.

"Minako Aino," she said. "Or Sailor Venus. I know, we all look a bit different in our civilian forms. This is—"

"Artemis?" Luna said.

"Luna!" the white cat said. "It's good to see you again."

"You know each other?" Makoto asked.

"Long story," Luna said.

"Anyways, I was passing by the Starlight Tower earlier, and I got some serious negative energy from off of it. I don't know what's going on, but something isn't right. I heard that Usagi isn't here, and I think she might be there," Minako said.

"Well then, let's go!" Rei said. They all transformed, and then sprinted off, eager to reach the Starlight Tower as quickly as possible.

They arrived there shortly, and Mercury whipped out her computer and visor to get any information she could off of it.

"It's no good," she said after a minute of typing. "All entrances are sealed completely. Usagi is trapped in an elevator with… Mamoru!"

"Mamoru?" Mars asked. "What's he doing here?"

"I don't know," Mercury said. "But we can't get in, it's sealed!"

Jupiter laughed. "I can fix that. I call upon my guardian, Jupiter! Bring the thunder, the lightning, the storm clouds! Supreme Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning crashed through the doors, blowing a huge hole in the building.

"Ah… yes, I suppose that does fix the problem," Mercury said.

"Well, hurry up!" Jupiter said. They all filed into the building, desperate to find out what was going on.

* * *

><p>Usagi and Mamoru were still in the elevator, which seemed to be taking ages to get to the top floor.<p>

"So, what do you want with the rainbow crystals?" Usagi asked. "Oh, sorry... that was kind of rude, wasn't it?"

"It's fine," Mamoru said. "I need the rainbow crystals to figure out who I am.

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked.

"You see… when I was six, I was in a terrible car accident. Both my parents were killed, and I don't remember anything from before I was six."

"Oh my God," Usagi said. "That's awful! I'm so sorry."

Mamoru looked over at him. Whenever people heard his story, they always expressed their sorrow over his loss. But it seemed to empty and meaningless, like they were only saying it to be polite. But Usagi… he felt like she truly meant it.

"Every night since that accident, I've had this recurring dream," Mamoru said. "There's this woman who appears in my dreams. She's all cloaked in fog, so I can't tell who she is. But she calls out to me, begging me to bring her the Silver Crystal. And she always says that if I bring her the Silver Crystal, all will be revealed."

"Wow," Usagi breathed. "Well, I certainly hope you figure it out, Mamoru."

"Thank you," he said.

Suddenly, the elevator shook.

"What was that?" Usagi asked.

"I don't know…" Mamoru said, worried.

"Ah!" Usagi gasped, looking up. Fire was curling down the elevator shaft, heading straight for them. She looked over at Mamoru, and bit her lip. She could take care of the fire, no problem, if she was Sailor Moon. But if she transformed in front of Mamoru he would know who she was… still, they would die otherwise. The choice was simple.

"Moon Prism Power!" she called out, feeling Mamoru's intense gaze on her, ad he undoubtedly wondered what she was doing.

Mamoru stared at her, his mouth open with disbelief. Usagi was…. Sailor Moon? It was ridiculous. Sure, he himself had admitted there were some similarities between them, but he thought it was impossible.

And yet, right before his eyes, there she was. One minute she was Usagi, Odango Atama, the klutzy girl who he loved to mock, and who loved to mock him.

And the next, she was Sailor Moon, the heroine of Tokyo, mysterious vigilante who he fought alongside night after night, who he swore to protect.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Usagi's crumbling smile when she thought no one was looking, the hidden pain, the forced cheerful façade. The way she would sometimes inexplicably get mad at him, or look like she was about to fall apart.

He had always wondered how such a cheerful girl like Usagi could feel like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was because she did.

"Well then," Sailor Moon said. "I don't know about you, but I don't terribly feel like dying today." She flashed him a smile, and he remembered that she still didn't know who he was. He wanted to say something, but he knew now wasn't the time.

* * *

><p>The Senshi, Luna and Artemis rushed through the Starlight Tower, desperate to find Mamoru and Usagi. "The elevator is headed for the top floor, the observation deck," Ami said, still typing away on her computer.<p>

Suddenly, the felt the building shake.

"Guys, what was that?" Mars asked.

"This isn't good," Mercury said. "The whole building as been altered…. we're entering a different dimension!"

"How do we fix it?" Jupiter asked.

"We don't," Mercury said. "This is beyond our control."

* * *

><p>Zoisite cackled as he watched the fiery explosion of the elevator. "It's too bad Mamoru suffered such a terrible accident. I'm sure Queen Beryl will understand there's simply nothing that could be done."<p>

"Actually, it's really too bad you're so stupid," Sailor Moon said.

Zoisite turned around. "You survived… how annoying. No matter, I'll just take care of both of you together. The leader of the Sailor Senshi… Beryl will be very pleased."

"How about you tell me what you want with me?" Sailor Moon said.

"Oh, such a silly girl," Zoisite said. "It's not _you_ I'm interested in. Although I'm sure my Queen will be quite pleased if I kill you off, I'm interested Tuxedo Kamen."

"Tuxedo Kamen?" Sailor Moon said, confused. "But he's not even here!"

"Actually, I am," Mamoru said, pulling a rose from his jacket.

"No," she breathed. It couldn't be! But right before her eyes, Mamoru tossed the rose into the air, and a minute later, in a flash of light, he was Tuxedo Kamen.

She realized that there had been so many signs, but she had ignored them all. How could she have been so blind?

She stared at him, trying to mesh together the image of Mamoru Chiba, the baka who tormented her and made fun of her, with Tuxedo Kamen, her masked savior, her secret crush, her ally against the Dark Kingdom. How could they be one and the same?

"Tuxedo Kamen?" she asked, but she knew it was him.

"Hello," he said, smiling softly at her.

"You need to leave," Sailor Moon said. "Now! You're injured, and Zoisite's already tried to kill you, and you need to go and save yourself."

"I'm not leaving," he said. "I may be the one Zoisite wants, but he wouldn't hesitate to kill you, either. If I leave, who would be there to protect you when you trip into the enemy's attack?"

She tried to smile, knowing he was joking around to try and soothe her worries, but she had an awful feeling in her gut that something just wasn't right about this.

"Well, as much as I hate to break up this touching moment, but you still owe me a duel, Mamoru," Zoisite said. "Or are you going to let me keep all seven rainbow crystals without a fight?"

"I'll fight you," Tuxedo Kamen said. "But leave Sailor Moon out of this. This fight doesn't involve her."

"Of course," Zoisite said. "I wouldn't dream of harming her. Just a fight between you and me, fair and square."

Tuxedo Kamen approached Zoisite, ready to start the duel, but something was off. Zoisite smirked, his expression positively gleeful.

"Victory is mine!" Zoisite called out.

Tuxedo Kamen turned around, and saw a giant crystal blade forming right behind Sailor Moon.

"No!" he cried out. It was as if everything was in slow motion. The blade shot forward, Sailor Moon turned around, but she was too slow. In a matter of seconds the blade would impale itself in her chest, killing her. Without a second thought, Tuxedo Kamen dashed towards her.

Sailor Moon heard the sound of the crystal hitting its mark, but she felt no pain. Instead, she saw Tuxedo Kamen in front of her, the blade having found its mark in him.

"No! Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon cried out, and rushed towards him as he fell.

"Are… you alright?" he asked, his voice weak and shaky.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Why do you look so upset, then?" he asked.

"You baka!" she shouted at him. "Why did you do that?"

"I couldn't... let Zoisite hurt you," he forced out. "I can't stand the thought of you being hurt."

"But what if _I_ can't stand the thought of _you _being hurt?" she asked, her voice thick with tears.

"I'm sorry," he said.

* * *

><p>The Senshi burst through the doors at last, glancing around at their surroundings.<p>

"Oh no!" Venus cried out. "We're too late."

Sailor Moon was cradling Tuxedo Kamen in her lap, clearly distraught. A tear slipped down her cheek, and crystalized. The Sailor Senshi all watched as the rainbow crystals flew out of nowhere and joined with Sailor Moon's crystalized tear. Slowly, the Silver Crystal was revealed.

"The Silver Crystal!" Mercury gasped. "It's finally appeared! But…"

Before she could say anything else, the Silver Crystal joined with Sailor Moon's Crescent Moon Wand, and hung in the air right in front of Sailor Moon. As if she were in a trance, Sailor Moon stood up and took the Crescent Moon Wand. Before the eyes of the Senshi and Zoisite, Sailor Moon transformed into the Moon Princess.

"The Moon Princess!" Luna gasped. "She's appeared!"

"Sailor Moon is the Moon Princess?" Mars said.

It seemed unbelievable. How could she be the Moon Princess when she'd been right in front of their eyes this whole time? But they could see it as clear as could be, right in front of them. They had finally found the missing Moon Princess, and it was Sailor Moon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please review!<strong>


	16. The Past Returns

**AN: I'm SO sorry for the huge delay in update! Being a second semester senior in high school pretty much took over my life, and then there was a lot of personal drama I had to deal with. But the good news is, I'm all done with school, and I know where this story is going, so hopefully I'll be able to update consistently.**

**Thanks a billion to my amazing reviewers: Ashen Author, shields07, Litalove, mysuneyedgirl and LoveInTheBattlefield. Hugs to you all.**

**Also, _italics_ denote flashbacks.**

* * *

><p>Sailor Moon was dimly aware of the gasps of shock around her as she transformed into the Moon Princess. She was barely aware of her own actions, she felt like she was in some kind of trance. But still- her, a princess? She could hardly believe it. The day Luna had told her she was Sailor Moon had been hard enough to believe. But this… they had been searching for the mysterious Moon Princess for so long, how could it be her? How had she not known?<p>

"Hmph," Zoisite said, observing the scene before him. "No matter. Die!"

Without even thinking about what she was doing, Sailor Moon raised the Moon Wand and deflected his attack, sending him flying halfway across the room.

"Tuxedo Kamen," she said, gently stroking his cheek as she started to cry. "Why?"

"Serenity," he said, stirring. "Serenity, it's you. I am Endymion, don't you remember?"

"Yes," she breathed, as memories started coming back to her.

_She was standing on a balcony of a great palace. The Moon Kingdom had just announced the imminent attack Earth was planning, and the kingdom was mustering up every strength they had. Endymion was to fight on the front lines on behalf of the Moon, despite being the Terran Crown Prince._

"_Take this," Serenity said, pulling off her neck a delicate star locket. "Something to remember me by when you're fighting."_

_Endymion opened up the locket, and started playing a sweet, delicate melody._

"_It's beautiful," he said, smiling, but his eyes were somber. They both knew they might not see each other again. _

Sailor Moon gasped as more memories flooded her.

_Serenity scanned the battlefield desperately. There was so much blood, so much death… it was all so horrible. She recognized among the fallen many people she had known and cared for. Because of the small size of the Lunarian army, in comparison to the Terran army, any people who had knowledge of fighting had been asked to fight. It was terrible, but she was only focused on one thing. Endymion. Up ahead she heard a cry. She rushed towards it, and encountered Beryl._

"_Die, Princess!" she shouted._

_Endymion dashed in front of her, and he was struck down._

"_No!" Serenity cried, falling to her knees._

Suddenly, she was back in the present. Sailor Moon felt woozy and her head was spinning. Exhausted and overwhelmed, she succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

><p>"Sailor Moon!" Mars cried out as the Senshi all rushed towards their fallen leader. Venus and Mercury were the first to reach her, and Venus gently picked up her wrist to check her pulse, while Mercury started tapping away at her computer.<p>

"She'll be fine," Mercury said. "Just fainted. She must have been overwhelmed by the transition into the Moon Princess."

"I still can't believe it's her," Jupiter said. "How could she have been right in front of us all this time without us knowing?"

"I hate to break up this tender moment," Zoisite said, struggling to his feet with the help of Kunzite, who had just appeared. "But I'm a busy man and I haven't got time to sit around listening to you."

The Senshi all arranged themselves protectively in front of Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon.

"You're not touching either one of them," Jupiter said.

Zoisite just smirked, and raised his hands. A light surrounded Tuxedo Kamen for a minute, and then he vanished into thin air. Without another word, Zoisite and Kunzite vanished as well.

"No!" Mars cried out, rushing towards where Tuxedo Kamen had been, but it was too late. He was gone.

* * *

><p>In the heart of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl faced the great ruler, Queen Metalia. Queen Metalia was little more than the essence of what she once was, but all the energy they had gathered has been making her stronger.<p>

"Queen Metalia," Beryl said. "We have captured this man, Tuxedo Kamen, who has often thwarted our plans. I realize now that he is the reincarnation of Prince Endymion, the Terran Prince from long ago. What would you have me do?"

"He could be a powerful ally," Metalia said. "Revive him, using the energy you have been gathering. If you can turn him over to the darkness, he could be very useful indeed."

"Of course," Beryl said, and smiled to herself. The Moon Princess might have awoken, but she had Endymion, and he would finally be hers. She would use him to destroy what he loved most—Serenity. Finally, revenge for what happened so long ago would be hers.

* * *

><p>"Any luck yet?" Jupiter asked, groaning a little as she adjusted Sailor Moon, who she was carrying on her back.<p>

"I'm afraid not," Mercury said. "The entire building has been transported into another dimension. It's not connected to the outside world."

"So, we can force our way through!" Jupiter said. "It worked on the way in."

Mercury shook her head. "Any attempt to forcibly open the connection would immediately sever the link, and we would be stuck here permanently. There are a few places where this dimension is connected to the outside dimension, but in most instances it's not strong enough for us to go through. I'm still searching for an exit."

Mars sighed. "Well, I hope you find it soon. This place creeps me out."

A soft groan came from Sailor Moon.

"She's waking up!" Venus said.

"How are you feeling?" Mars asked.

Sailor Moon blinked a bit, clearing away the darkness form her vision, and looked around.

"Where's Tuxedo Kamen?" she asked, sliding off Jupiter's back. "Where's Mamoru?"

There was a silence from the group, and everyone averted their eyes, looking anywhere but at Sailor Moon.

"He's not…" she trailed off. "He can't be…."

"He's alive," Mars said. "But… he was captured by the enemy."

"Oh," Sailor Moon said, sinking down onto the floor.

Luna cleared her throat. "Now that Sailor Moon has awakened as the Moon Princess, I'd suspect that your memories of your past life are returning."

"Yes…" Venus said. "I already had a few fragmented memories of our past lives, but they're coming back much stronger now. I remember we were all princesses of our own planets, but we guarded Serenity. It was such a peaceful time… until the end."

"Yeah, I remember that," Jupiter said. "A lot of it is still foggy, but I can recall we were all close friends, even back then. I remember the majestic beauty of the Moon Palace, too."

"We need to discuss strategy," Artemis said. "I know Mercury is focused on getting us out of here, but things are only going to get tougher now. We need to discuss how we're going to go at the enemy. We need to keep fighting."

"I don't want to," Sailor Moon said, speaking up for the first time since she had been told what had happened to Tuxedo Kamen.

"What do you mean, Usagi?" Luna asked. "I know you've never really liked the lifestyle of the Senshi, but you don't really have a choice. I thought you'd matured…"

"No," Sailor Moon said, shaking her head. "I'm not fighting. I can't."

"But Usagi… we have to. It's our destiny," Jupiter said.

"I said no, okay?" Sailor Moon said. "I just… I can't do this. Tuxedo Kamen… Mamoru… what happened to him was because of me. If it hadn't been for me, he would be here right now! And… if I think about anything happening to you… I just can't stand it!"

"Do you think we don't know the risk?" Venus said. "We're Senshi, like you. We know the dangers, but we cannot simply stop fighting because we might get hurt. It's our duty and our destiny to protect the Earth from enemies like the Dark Kingdom. Mamoru knew the same, what happened to him wasn't your fault."

"You don't get it!" Sailor Moon said. "It's different. This whole time we've fought against the bad guys, and we've triumphed. And yeah, we've gotten cuts and bruises and there have been occasions when we've come a little too close to dying. But we've survived. We're all here. None of us has ever truly been injured and in danger of dying. I can't change what happened to Mamoru, but I can refuse to fight if that means the same won't happen to you."

There was a moment of silence as her words sunk in. Slowly, Mars walked up to her leader, and paused for a minute, staring her in the eye. Mars raised her hand, and slapped Sailor Moon, hard.

"Coward!" Mars yelled at her. "Coward! Mamoru was injured, nearly killed, because he was protecting _you_! And this is how you repay him? By crying about how you don't want to fight anymore because it's hard?"

"You're right," Sailor Moon said. "I _am_ a coward. I'm not as strong as you are, Rei. I know you've always wanted to be the leader, I know you hate me and think I'm worthless and weak. I get it!"

"That's not true," Mars said.

"Well guess what?" Sailor Moon said, ignoring her. "You've won. You can be the leader of the Senshi, you can be the Moon Princess for all I care, because I quit. I'm done. I cannot stand the thought of any more of you being hurt because I'm too stupid and too weak to do my job."

"Sailor Moon…" Jupiter said. "You've always been great at your job, especially the way you handled Zoisite back there. I know what happened to Mamoru is hard to deal with, but you need to stay strong. You just need time to adjust to it."

"In the meantime," Mercury said, shutting off her computer. "I have some good news. I've figured out how to get us out of here."

"Not so fast," a voice said.

The Sailor Senshi turned around and saw Kunzite standing there, a smirk on his face. They immediately blocked Sailor Moon from him, protecting the Princess and the Silver Crystal.

"Now, I'll give you two options," he said. "I'd hate for any more of you to end up like that friend of yours, Tuxedo Kamen, just because you're trying to protect the Princess. So if you just hand over the Silver Crystal and the Moon Princess, you can all go on your merry way and thank your lucky stars I'm feeling forgiving."

"As if we'd ever do that!" Mars said.

"Then you can die," he said.

"Come on, Jupiter," Venus said. "Let's show him what we're made of."

"I've been looking for a good fight," Jupiter agreed, cracking her knuckles. "I call upon my guardian planet, Jupiter! Give me your energy; bring forth the thunder and lightning. Supreme thunder!"

The attack hit Kunzite right in the chest, but he didn't seem to be injured at all, instead he seemed to have absorbed it.

"But… how is that possible?" Jupiter wondered. "He absorbed my attack!"

"You'll never win against me on my territory," Kunzite said. "Prepare to die!"

"Not just yet," Venus said. "Crescent beam!" Once again, the attack was merely absorbed.

"Pathetic!" Kunzite spat. "Is that the best you can do?" He gathered up the energy he had absorbed, and sent their attacks right back at them.

Sailor Venus and Jupiter screamed in pain as the full blast of their attacks hit them, sending them to the ground.

"It's… gonna take… a little more than that… to defeat us!" Jupiter said, picking herself up off the floor. Just as she and Venus were starting to stand up, Kunzite sent another attack at them.

"Look out!" Mars cried, but it was too late. The attack hit Jupiter and Venus, and with a last scream of pain, they fell to the ground, unmoving.

Sailor Moon stared at the scene in horror, a hand clasped over her mouth. This was exactly what she had feared.

"Well," Mars said, turning to Mercury. "You know protecting the Princess and the Silver Crystal is most important. I'll try and fend him off, take Sailor Moon and get out of here." She turned to face Kunzite. She knew it was pointless to attack him, but she couldn't just stand there. "I'm not going down without a fight. Fire Soul!"

Like the attacks before her, Mars' fire was simply absorbed, and Kunzite, smirking, sent it back at her.

Mars bit back a cry of agony, and tried to shelter herself from the blast. But Kunzite proved to powerful, and like Jupiter and Venus before her, Mars was overpowered, and fell to the ground, completely still.

"I'm sorry, Princess," Mercury said. "I guess I won't be able to protect you after all. Get out of here while you still can! Follow where Luna and Artemis went, they know the way out."

"You're not the one I want," Kunzite said. "Leave and I'll spare you."

"I'll never let you lay a hand on her," Mercury said.

"Die!" Kunzite said. He didn't even give her a chance to attack, he merely sent a blast of dark energy towards her. Mercury tried to resist it, but in this dimension, she was easily defeated. The dark energy knocked her backwards, sending herself and Sailor Moon to the ground.

"No," Sailor Moon said. She felt like she was living a nightmare. All around her, her friends lay still on the ground, and in what condition, she didn't know. And it was all because of her.

She thought of how Tuxedo Kamen had looked as he lay on the ground in front of her, bleeding profusely, all because he had taken that hit meant for her. She knew that she would have died instantly if it hit her, as it had been aimed for her heart. But if Tuxedo Kamen died because of her, she would never forgive herself.

And now her friends… she knew they would lay down their lives in an instant for her, and that was what scared her the most. Being the leader of the Senshi was hard, and her friends and fellow Senshi had always done anything and everything to protect her. But now that she had been revealed as the Princess, it went beyond anything it had ever been before. And she hated it.

She stared at Kunzite, aware of the Crescent Moon Wand in her hand, which held the Silver Crystal. She knew she didn't have a choice now. She would fight, she had to. It was her destiny. But more than that, she would fight to protect everyone she loved. She wouldn't allow anyone else to end up like Tuxedo Kamen.

"Well," Kunzite said. "There you have it. Your friends laid down their lives protecting _you_. If they couldn't fight me off what makes you think you could?"

"You're wrong," Sailor Moon said, staring him directly in the eye. "I am strong. Stronger than you know, and I will not let you get away with this."

"It's a little too late for that," Kunzite said. "Your friends are gone, as is your precious Tuxedo Kamen. Now it's your turn. I will get revenge for what you did to Zoisite. Die!" He sent a huge force of dark energy towards Sailor Moon.

Almost subconsciously, she raised the Crescent Moon Wand to deflect it. "Please, everyone," she thought. "Lend me your strength!"

Kunzite was strong, and Sailor Moon struggled to fight off his power, even with the Silver Crystal. But she knew she could. She felt power flooding through her veins like never before, giving her new strength. Before she had been in too much of a trance to notice, but using the Silver Crystal awakened something deep within her, some power source that seemed infinite. She focused on that, drawing as much energy as she could from it, and the tide slowly started to turn, as she started to gain the upper hand.

"Hmm…" Kunzite said to himself. Sailor Moon was stronger than he thought, and he was rapidly losing the advantage he first held. He knew he couldn't allow her to defeat him, and it was becoming clear he wouldn't win. There would be another battle, another time when he finally defeated her. For now, he teleported back to the Dark Kingdom.

The energy Sailor Moon had wielded with the Silver Crystal burst through the Starlight Tower, breaking the hold the Dark Kingdom had over it, and returning it to the normal dimension.

Sailor Moon collapsed to her knees, exhausted, but she fought against the blackness that danced across her vision, threatening to take her under. She couldn't afford to lose consciousness now. Around her, the Senshi were slowly starting to come to, and Sailor Moon breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn't been more seriously hurt. For now, at least, they were all safe.

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><p>Some time later, after they had all left what was left of the Starlight Tower, Sailor Moon stood among the ruins, staring at the evening sky. It was hard to believe that only a few short hours ago, she had followed Mamoru here, not knowing who he was, or who she really was. So much had happened in such little time, and it was slowly starting to sink in as the adrenaline from battle started to wear off.<p>

"Sailor Moon," Venus said.

Sailor Moon turned to face her. All of the Senshi were gathered behind her. Luckily, none of them had been too badly hurt. They were completely worn out and had some minor injuries, but nothing too serious.

"You were incredible in there," Venus said. "You succeeded where we had all failed, and you protected not only the Silver Crystal and yourself, but all of us."

"How can you say you're weak or a bad leader when you do things like that?" Mars asked. "You know I don't think that about you. And I know that being a Senshi isn't easy, and I know you feel guilty about what happened to Mamoru, but it wasn't your fault. Not only are you the leader of the Senshi, the Moon Princess, and a damn good fighter, you're also our friend. And we can't do this without you."

"I know," Sailor Moon said. "And thank you. For your words of encouragement. I know I don't have a choice, I have to fight. And I will, because I will not let anybody else get hurt trying to protect me. No matter what, we're all in this together."

She looked back towards the sky again. And somewhere out there, she thought, was Mamoru. She just knew he wasn't dead, she knew he was okay. And come hell or high water, she would find him.

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><p><strong>AN: Please review!<strong>


	17. Heartbreak and Evil

**AN: Ack, I am so so sorry about the huge delay in updating! Life just got in the way for a little while. The good news is, I'm pretty sure I have it all sorted out, so I should be able to update quickly next time. And I know I always say that, but this time I mean it!**

**Anyways, thanks a billion to my reviewers: Mistress Mask, WhiteWinterStar, LoveInTheBattleField, and chibichibi2007. Virtual cookies all around.**

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><p>It had been several weeks since the Senshi had defeated Zoisite and Kunzite at the Starlight Tower, since the memories of their past lives had come back, and since Mamoru had been captured by the enemy. There was still no sign of him. Usagi sat in her room, staring at the star locket as it played its mournful melody.<p>

"Mamoru…" she sighed. Where was he? Was he okay? What did the enemy want with him? So many unanswered questions ran through her mind. It was so unfair for her to have finally remembered who she was and who he was, only to lose him immediately. There was a knock at her door, and Usagi turned around to see who it was.

"Can I come in?" Minako asked.

"Sure," Usagi said, turning her eyes back to the star locket sitting on her vanity table.

"How have you been holding up?" Minako asked, sitting on the edge of Usagi's bed.

"Fine," Usagi said.

"Your mom says you haven't been yourself lately," Minako said. "I know what you're going through is tough, but…"

"But what?" Usagi asked. "But I should just get over it? Is that what you're going to say? Mamoru is… Mamoru might be _dead_, and you're just telling me to get over it?"

"No," Minako said gently. "I was going to say, I know what you're going through is tough, but you have to be strong. If we want to find Mamoru and rescue him, we need our leader. We need _you_, Usagi."

"I'm here," Usagi said.

"You know that's not what I mean," Minako said. "You haven't really been… present. It seems like you're not trying."

Usagi's eyes filled with tears. "I _am_ trying, Mina. It's just… this is Mamoru we're talking about. And yeah, he's always been a jerk and a complete baka, but… he's sometimes really nice, and even when he's being mean it's still kind of fun to argue with him, and then… and then I realize he's Tuxedo Kamen, my masked savior, and we were in love in our past lives, and all of this just comes rushing back and then he's captured by the enemy and I just _don't know what to do_."

"It's okay," Minako said. "I know this is hard, but we're here for you." She picked up a brush on Usagi's vanity table, took out the pins holding her odangos in place, and started brushing her hair.

Usagi sniffled a little bit, but she stopped crying.

"Let's go do something fun," Minako said. "To get your mind off of this. There's a new store opening at the mall, and they have super cute dresses. Plus, I heard that the cake store is having a big sale. We could also stop by the salon and you could get an entirely new hairdo."

"Maybe that would be fun," Usagi said.

"Come on, let's go," Minako said, putting down the hairbrush.

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><p>A few hours later, Minako and Usagi had their arms full of shopping bags, and they were laughing as they walked through the mall.<br>"I mean, did you _see_ that dress?" Minako asked. "I think that was the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

"It was pretty hideous," Usagi agreed. "But at least this trip wasn't a complete waste, there were some cute dresses."

"True," Minako said. "But when that saleslady came up to me and told me how great that dress would look on me, and how well it would suit my complexion, I just couldn't stop myself from laughing. Was she blind? Did she not see the utter hideousness of that dress?"

"Very true," Usagi said, laughing. A moment of silence passed as the two girls walked side by side. "Thank you," she said finally.

Minako looked over at her friend, but didn't say anything.

"I think I really needed this," Usagi said. "Someone to just drag me out and remind me that life keeps on going even when tragedies happen, and I can't just wallow in self despair. I need to be strong. So thank you, for helping me see that."

"Of course," Minako said. "That's what friends are for. And, Usagi… you're stronger than you think."

Usagi was about to say something when a scream cut her off. "What was that?"

"Do you think it's a youma attack?" Minako asked.

"One way to find out," Usagi said, and she took off running, with Minako following close behind.

The screams continued, making it easy for the two girls to find the source of the panic. They rounded a corner, and sure enough, a youma was terrorizing a group of people.

Usagi and Minako ducked behind a stand, and called out their transformations.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

"Venus Power, Make Up!"

A moment later, the two Senshi ran out to face the youma.

"Alert the others," Sailor Moon said. "I'll hold it off for now."

"Got it," Venus said. She pulled out her communicator and dialed the others.

"Hey you!" Sailor Moon shouted, drawing the youma's attention from the innocent people. It was a humanoid youma, but she couldn't tell much else about it. Hopefully Mercury would get here soon, and provide more information about the youma.

"I am Sailor Moon, protector of the innocent! I stand for love and justice and world peace, and in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"

The youma stared at her for a second, and then cackled, leaping towards her, a razor-sharp blade extended. Sailor Moon dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way just in time.

"Doesn't anybody appreciate my speeches?" she grumbled to herself. The youma readied itself to strike again, and Sailor Moon dodged the attack. The youma was very fast, which didn't give Sailor Moon much time for a counter-attack; all her energy was focused on dodging the attacks.

"Crescent Beam!"

Sailor Venus' attack hit the youma, and it reeled back in pain. Its temporary distraction gave Sailor Moon enough time to get up, and get a few well-placed kicks in. All of her karate training Jupiter had been forcing her to do was starting to pay off.

The youma recovered, and shot sticky webs out of its mouth towards Sailor Venus. She threw herself out of the way, but not fast enough, as some of it hit her side.

"Sailor Venus!" Sailor Moon ran over to her fallen friend, trying to dodge youma attacks along the way.

Venus was lying on the ground, struggling to get up.

"Are you all right?" Sailor Moon asked.

"I think this stuff paralyzes," Venus managed to get out, gasping. "I can't really move."

"You'll be okay," Sailor Moon promised.

"The others… should be here soon," Venus said, her voice getting weaker. "Don't worry about me, just… be careful."

Sailor Moon cursed. The youma had been temporarily distracted by a few passers-by, but its attention was now turned back to her. Getting up, she glanced quickly back at Sailor Venus, who was lying flat on the floor. She hoped she would be okay, but she didn't have time to worry about her friend.

"All right, ugly," Sailor Moon said. "You've hurt my friend. And if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I _really_ don't like it when people hurt my friends. You're moon dust!"

She pulled out her Moon Scepter. It would be significantly harder to defeat the youma by herself, since it hadn't been weakened much yet, but if she put all her energy into it, perhaps she could succeed.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!" The attack hit the youma, and it screamed in pain, but it failed to turn to dust.

"Dammit!" Sailor Moon swore. It hadn't been enough, and she wasn't sure if she had enough energy left to attack it again. And _where_ were the other Senshi? She backed up, trying to dodge the youma's never-ending attacks. It shot the sticky webs out of its mouth again, and managed to hit Sailor Moon on the ankle.

She stumbled backwards, and fell against the wall, the youma still advancing on her. She was cornered. Inwardly, she cursed herself for being so careless as to let herself be cornered. She should know better by know, stupid mistakes like that got you killed. Just as the youma was about to attack, a rose pierced the ground between Sailor Moon and the Senshi. Sailor Moon felt like her heart stopped. Could it be…? Trying not to allow herself to get her hopes up, she looked up. A tall, masked figured stood on one of the awnings to a store. _Mamoru._

"You're... you're alive!" she said. "But how? I was so worried; they said that the Dark Kingdom had captured you, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again."

"Enough," Tuxedo Kamen said, cutting her off. "Hand over the Silver Crystal, Sailor Moon, and your life will be spared. You do not have to die today."

"But… I don't understand," she said. "What do you mean? Tuxedo Kamen, aren't we on the same side?"

"Do not call me that," he said. "I am Endymion of the Dark Kingdom."

Sailor Moon felt numb, and she sank to the floor. "But surely you don't mean that…"

"I mean every word," he said. "Now hand over the Silver Crystal!"

"Fire Soul!" A blast of fire hit the youma, which had been standing there, as if waiting for Tuxedo Kamen's command to attack. At last, the other Senshi had arrived.

Sailor Moon could see Mercury rushing off to tend to Sailor Venus, and she could see Mars and Jupiter attacking the youma. But everything looked hazy, and she wasn't sure if it was the paralysis setting in, or if it was because of what Tuxedo Kamen—no, Endymion of the Dark Kingdom, that wasn't her Tuxedo Kamen—had said.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was dimly aware of Mars calling to her, but all she could think about was Tuxedo Kamen. Mamoru. _Her_ Endymion. What had happened to him? Who was this new Endymion of the Dark Kingdom? Maybe it was just some sort of trick; he was pretending to be on their side to gain information. But no… she had seen the look in his eyes. He looked so… cold, and empty, as if there was nothing in there. He couldn't fake that.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars' voice cut through the haze. "Finish the youma off!"

Sailor Moon dragged herself up, struggling to stand on one leg, as the other was rendered completely useless by the paralysis. She gritted her teeth against the darkness creeping at the edges of her vision, and pulled out her Moon Scepter. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and then called out the attack. "Moon Scepter Elimination!"

She felt the familiar exhaustion as all her energy poured into the attack. Her good leg buckled, and she collapsed on the ground, the darkness threatening to take over. Through the darkness, she could see that Tuxedo Kamen had left.

"Sailor Moon!" Jupiter called, rushing over to her fallen leader. "Are you all right?"

"I got hit by some of the webbing," she ground out. "The paralysis is starting to set in. How's Venus doing?"

"She'll be fine," Mercury said, coming over. "She got hit with more than you did, so it will take her longer to heal, but she'll be fine. Let me see how badly it hit you." She pulled out her computer, and started tapping away, analyzing the full extent of damage.

"Was that Tuxedo Kamen?" Jupiter asked. "I could have sworn I saw him. Is he really back?"

Sailor Moon just shook her head, not wanting to talk about it, and not trusting herself to say anything without her voice cracking. She just had to get out of there, be alone for a bit. She knew her Senshi, her friends, would be supportive, but they didn't understand. How could they understand? They had no idea what it was like for her. _She_ wasn't even sure if she understood what she was feeling.

Mercury shut off her computer. "If we get you back to the shrine, I should be able to concoct an antidote. I recently re-stocked the medical supply at the shrine for more serious situations, as the youma attacks have been getting stronger."

Sailor Moon just nodded her head. She let her friends pull her up, and help support her as they made their way to the shrine.

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><p>An hour later, the antidote had been created, and given to both Usagi and Minako. Usagi could slowly start to feel her leg again, but the haze she'd been seeing didn't dissipate. As soon as she felt like she could walk safely, she made an excuse and left. She knew her friends were wondering about seeing Tuxedo Kamen at the battle, but they gave her space, and she was grateful for that. The moment she was clear of the shrine, she started running, and the tears started falling.<p>

She wasn't even looking where she was going, she just ran and ran and ran until her legs collapsed. She looked around, and realized she was in the park, the same place where she had run away to, shortly after she discovered she was Sailor Moon, and the stress of it all got to her. She smiled a bit, but without any amusement, as she remembered how terrified she was when she first found out she was Sailor Moon, destined to fight against evil. She knew that day that nothing would ever be the same. She could no longer be carefree, silly, ditzy Usagi.

She had thought that simply being Sailor Moon was the hardest trial she would have to overcome. She was wrong. This was so much harder. For the first time in a very long time, she hated that destiny made her Sailor Moon. She hated that she had to hide the truth from her parents, that she had to put up with their worried glances, or whispered conversations, or the utterly heartbreaking look on her mother's face whenever she came back from a fight bloody and bruised. But never broken. Not until now.

If destiny hadn't made her Sailor Moon, this wouldn't have happened. Perhaps in another life, one where she was just Usagi and nothing more, she could have grown to like Mamoru. In between all their fighting and arguing and teasing, she would have realized that she didn't hate him or even dislike him, not at all. Maybe she would have fallen in love with his softer side, the one he rarely showed, the one he hid underneath a snarky exterior. And maybe they could have started something real.

Maybe instead of living in a world where there was evil to defeat, a world where they were Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon, the reincarnations of Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity, they could live in a world where they were just Mamoru and Usagi. Two teenagers in love. Mamoru would help her with her studies, so she would do better in school. She would make her parents proud of her, and give Shingo someone to look up to. And she would help Mamoru heal the scars from his past, and give him a future full of hope.

But none of that was possible, because they _did_ live in a world where they were Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon, fighting evil every day. And because of that, Tuxedo Kamen was gone, perhaps forever. Usagi pulled out the star locket she kept around her neck, and opened it up. The tune, which has once sounded so beautiful, only sounded mournful now, and she curled up into a ball and cried; big, harsh, ugly sobs. She cried for Mamoru, she cried for herself, she cried for the life they wouldn't be able to have. And as the locket played its sad melody, she thought, _"So this is what it's like to have your heart break."_

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><p><strong>AN: Please review! :)<strong>


	18. The Grieving Process

**AN: I know, I know, I suck. I'm sorry! I just got super blocked. But here is a nice new, long chapter. Since I can't seem to update when I say I will, I won't make any promises, but I will say that I think a quick update should be relatively easy, as I know where this story is headed.**

**Also, the story's coming to an end soon. I know there will be at least 3 more chapters, but there might not be much more than that.****  
><strong>

**As always, a big thank you to my reviewers: SailorSea and LoveInTheBattleField. I know I've been terrible at updating lately, but if I could pretty please get at least 3 reviews per chapter (and sometimes you guys are awesome and leave lots of reviews) that would be very much appreciated.**

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><p>Usagi wasn't sure how long she lay there on the cold ground, curled up into a ball and sobbing. Before long it started to rain, but she didn't move. Part of her felt like if she just lay there, maybe it would all turn out to be some horrible nightmare. Eventually, she heard footsteps, and murmured voices. She couldn't hear much of what they were saying, and didn't really care, but she caught a few snippets.<p>

"She's shivering," one voice said.

"Completely soaked to the bone, poor thing," someone else said.

"Come on, let's bring her back to the shrine," a third person said. "She'll catch her death if she stays out here like this."

Someone picked her up, and started walking, and the gentle rocking motion lulled Usagi to sleep.

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><p>When she woke up, she was in a spare bedroom at the Hikawa shrine, under a very big pile of blankets. Despite all the blankets, she shivered. She wasn't sure how long she had been out in the freezing cold rain, but clearly it was enough time to get sick. It was a good thing her immune system was much stronger than normal people's- a perk of being Sailor Moon. She couldn't afford to be sick right now.<p>

She shoved off the blankets and stood up, feeling a little weak and light-headed, but she shook it off. She walked out the door, and towards the common room, hoping she might find her friends. As she got closer, she could hear them talking.

"I'm really worried about her," Rei was saying. "I'm sure this must be hard on her but I've never seen her like that. It was like she was in some sort of catatonic state…"

"She'll be okay," Makoto said. "Right? She's strong, she can pull through."

"True," Ami said. "I'm just worried how long it will take. I hate to be the one to say this, but with the way things have been progressing lately, we don't have much more time to stop the Dark Kingdom. Usagi's our leader, and if we have any hope of winning this war, we're going to need her. We don't have time to deal with a setback like this."

"Ami is right," Luna said. "As hard as this must be on Usagi, we need her as Sailor Moon more now than ever."

Usagi entered the room, tired of eavesdropping.

"Usagi, you're up!" Minako said. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she lied. The slight fever she had and the light-headedness weren't bad, but she was far from fine. Although the haze clouding her mind had cleared, she just felt… empty.

"You really shouldn't be out of bed," Rei admonished. "You were running a high fever. Here, sit by the fire and drink some tea."

Usagi allowed herself to be led over to fire, and accepted the blanket and mug of tea Rei handed her.

"So…" Makoto trailed off. "I don't mean to pry, but…"

"He's back," Usagi said, knowing what Makoto wanted to ask. "But… he's not himself. The Dark Kingdom, they must have… brainwashed him, or something. He's working for them now. He tried to get the Silver Crystal."

"I'm sorry," Rei said, putting a hand on Usagi's arm, but she brushed it off.

"Ami, is there anything you could do?" Usagi asked. "Run some scans, reverse the process or something?"

Ami shook her head. "Not from here, at least. If I got close enough, I might be able to run some scans and figure out what's making him like this, but there's no guarantees."

"All right," Usagi said. "So, where do we go from here? What's our plan of attack in regards to the Dark Kingdom? What are we going to do about Mamoru? Since he's fought side-by-side with us for awhile, he knows our weaknesses and our strengths, which could create huge problems."

"Um…" Minako started to say.

"What?" Usagi asked her, her tone sharper than she meant. "Did you have something to say?"

"Nothing," Minako said, shaking her head. "It's just… you tell us that Tuxedo Kamen has been brainwashed by the enemy and turned against us, not to mention that you just found out he's Mamoru and Prince Endymion and you're Princess Serenity, and you're all business."

"So?" Usagi said. "I thought you guys were always telling me to be more mature. So here I am, being mature. My personal feelings don't matter; we need to stop the Dark Kingdom. Shit happens, but life goes on."

"We're just worried about you," Makoto said. "This must be a lot to handle. And, only a couple hours ago you were lying in the freezing cold rain in a catatonic state."

"I've processed my emotions," Usagi said, taking a big sip of tea to disguise the fact that her hands were shaking and her voice was breaking. "I'm fine now."

"Okay…" Makoto said. "Well, we're not quite sure what our next plan is. Due to… recent circumstances, the Dark Kingdom currently has the advantage over us."

"I don't think you're strong enough yet for a full-on attack," Luna said. "All of you have had such precious little training. We need to control the situation as best we can, and train harder than ever to prepare for an attack. We need to end this, as soon as we can."

"Okay," Usagi said. "So, we just keep training and dealing with the regular youma attacks? We need to do more than that. Especially now that Tuxedo Kamen is working for them we're at a serious disadvantage. We need to act, now."

"Well, what do you propose?" Luna asked. "There isn't much more we can do, not right now."

"Well, we have to do something!" Usagi shouted. She took a deep breath to stabilize herself. "I just think that maybe a more aggressive plan of attack would be a good idea."

"I have to agree with Luna," Ami said. "We're not ready for a full-on attack. The Dark Kingdom has many powerful youma at its hands, not to mention the head of the Shitennou, Kunzite, and now Tuxedo Kamen, too. And we don't even know how powerful Queen Beryl is, we've only been working with her soldiers."

"Fine," Usagi said. "Maybe you're right. I guess we'll just have to train harder than ever, so we can be ready to end this once and for all."

"Well, I guess that's it for the meeting, then," Makoto said. "It seems like we have a plan."

"Good," Usagi said. "I need to train. Rei, do you mind if I stay here for a bit to train?"

"Of course not," Rei said, surprised. Usagi was usually not one to initiate training, and when others suggested it, she usually whined for a bit.

Usagi got up, and opened the hidden door to the training area. The Hikawa shrine had become the home base of the Senshi, and Rei had set up a secret training area in an old, unused room.

There was a collection of training equipment: punching bags, mats for sparring, target practice for magical attacks, and a secluded area for meditation. Luna had recently told the Senshi that meditation would help enhance their spiritual and magical powers.

Usagi walked over to one of the punching bags. It didn't matter that she was still in her school uniform, which was a little muddy from lying on the ground; she put her all into it, without even bothering to tape her hands. With each punch she threw, she felt her anger grow. She didn't deserve this.

She gave up her old life to be Sailor Moon and protect the world on a daily basis. She put her life on the line day after day, night after night, and she couldn't even tell her family. And what did she get in return? Betrayal. She finally found someone who she cared about, who she could maybe love, and had loved before, but before she had any time to spend with him, everything was ripped away from her.

It just wasn't fair. And so she punched and she kicked and she poured everything she had into the punching bag. She relished the burn as her muscles strained to do what she was asking of them. Once she tired of the punching bag, she moved on to the targets, throwing tiara after tiara and using her scepter at least a dozen times. She felt exhausted and worn out, more than she ever had before, but at least she felt _something_.

After she felt like she finally couldn't train any more without collapsing, she exited the training room. Ami was still in the common room, researching something on her computer, and Minako and Makoto were doing some light sparring.

"Do you know where Rei is?" Usagi asked.

"She's in the fire room," Ami said. "I think Luna's with her."

Usagi walked down the hall and poked her head into the room where Rei was meditating in front of the fire.

"Did you want something, Usagi?" Rei asked without turning around.

"Nothing important," she said, shaking her head. "Is it alright if I shower and borrow some clothes of yours?"

"Of course," Rei said, turning to face her friend. "If there's anything you need, or if you want to talk, don't hesitate to ask."

"Right, thanks," Usagi said, forcing a smile.

She headed towards the bathroom, and stripped off her sweaty, muddy clothes. The minute she got in the shower, she could no longer keep it together. She collapsed on the floor of the shower, curled in on herself, sobbing. She hoped the sound of the shower would mask the sound of her cries. She didn't want to worry her friends, and she knew they were right.

She had to be strong; she had to be Sailor Moon right now, not Usagi Tsukino. The time to end the Dark Kingdom once and for all was fast approaching, and she didn't have time to cry over a broken heart. She needed to be as strong and as prepared as she could be.

She was the leader of the Senshi; she couldn't abandon her friends now. She had to be strong. But she had never felt weaker in her life.

Once she had her emotions under control again, Usagi shut off the water, and grabbed a spare shrine uniform to change into. She headed back towards the common room, to see if there was any other Senshi business to attend to. Before she got there, she could hear them talking.

"I just don't know what to do," Rei said. "I mean, if she were crying and upset, that would be one thing. At least it would be expected. Normal. But this… it scares me."

"Maybe she's finally maturing," Luna said. "She seems to be coping relatively well."

"She's barely holding it together," Rei said. "She's not coping at all, she's in denial. I feel like one small thing is going to tip her over the edge. And then what? You saw what she was like when we found her in the park. It was like she wasn't really there, like she had just completely checked out of reality."

"Well, what can we do?" Minako said. "She clearly doesn't want to talk about it."

"Maybe we should just lay low," Ami suggested. "We shouldn't pressure her into anything. Maybe we should follow her lead, and let her do what she needs to."

"I don't know…" Makoto said. "I agree with Rei, this behavior is kind of scary. She just doesn't seem like Usagi. I know we need Sailor Moon now more than ever, but we need Usagi, too."

Tired of listening to them talk about her, again, Usagi made her presence known.

"So, is there anything else we need to talk about?" she asked.

"No, I think the meeting is all done," Makoto said.

"Great," Usagi said, turning to leave. "I should head back home, I wouldn't want my parents to worry."

"Right," Rei said. "Um, Usagi?"

"Yeah?" she turned around.

"Listen… we've been talking, and we're worried about you," Rei said. "I mean, it's great to see you taking such initiative with the training and all that, but… what happened with Tuxedo Kamen must be hard on you. And you're allowed to grieve, you know."

"Well, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine," Usagi said, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Are you sure?" Rei asked. "I just… we care about you, Usagi. And no matter how hard things are, you know we're always here for you, right? You don't have to pretend around us."

"Really, I'm fine," Usagi said. "You don't need to worry. Can I go now?"

"Yeah, of course," Rei said after a moment.

"Well, keep me updated if the plans change," Usagi said, and then turned around to leave.

* * *

><p>By the time she got home, it was nearly dinner.<p>

"Usagi!" Ikuko said when her daughter walked through the door. "There you are. Where have you been? I know you said you were going out with your friends, but it's been so long, I was starting to get worried."

"Sorry, mama," Usagi said. "We went back to Rei's shrine afterwards for homework club."

"Well, I'm glad you girls are studying together," Ikuko said. "I don't know about them, but your grades could certainly improve."

"Yes, I know," Usagi said, rolling her eyes. "What's for dinner?"

"Stir-fry," Ikuko said. "Do me a favor and call your brother down, will you?"

"Shingo!" Usagi called up the stairs. "It's dinner!"

A few minutes later, he came thumping down the stairs. "Where have you been all day?"

"I was out with friends," Usagi said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Something I'm sure you're unfamiliar with."

"Hey!" he shouted. "Mom, Usagi's being mean!"

Ikuko shook her head. "Be nice, you two. You've been getting along so well lately."

"Only 'cause Odango's never here anymore," Shingo said. "Isn't that what that guy who tutored you in math called you? Odango?"

"Yeah," Usagi said, trying not to show how much Shingo's innocent comment hurt. "It's not very nice!"

Before Shingo could respond, the door opened. "I'm home!"

Kenji walked in, setting his briefcase on the table. "Something smells delicious."

"Well, you're just in time," Ikuko says. "It's all ready. Usagi, Shingo, please set the table."

As Usagi helped her little brother set the table, and they all sat down to dinner, she thought about how nice it was, having a simple, happy life. She had parents who loved her and a little brother, who despite being a major pain in the ass, could actually be kind of sweet sometimes.

This was the way her life was before she became Sailor Moon, before she discovered she was Princess Serenity, before she lost Mamoru. She would give anything to have it back, but she knew that was impossible. Her friends were relying on her; the whole world was relying on her. She couldn't disappoint them.

* * *

><p>The next day passed relatively uneventfully. School was the same as usual; Usagi was late for class, she failed a test she hadn't had time to study for, and Ms.<p>

* * *

><p>Haruna gave unfair amounts of homework because she didn't have a date. After school was over, she headed to the Hikawa shrine to train more.<p>

She worked just as hard as she had the day before, pushing the limits of her strength and endurance until she felt like she felt like she couldn't possibly go on.

"Hey, Usagi," Minako said, poking her head into the training room. "You've been working so hard lately, so I was thinking it might be fun to go out on the town and have some fun."

"I should really train more," Usagi said. "But thanks."

"Aw, come on," Minako said. "There's this new nightclub opening, and they're having karaoke night! It will be fun! We can make fun of Makoto when she tries to sing."

"Hey, I heard that!" Makoto said from the other room. "My singing is just fine!"

"Okay, fine," Usagi said. "I guess I can take some time off."

"Great!" Minako beamed. "I need to change out of my school uniform, and you probably want to clean up. Let's leave in an hour or so?"

"Okay," Usagi said, a slight genuine smile appearing for the first time. Maybe an evening out with her friends would help get her mind off of things.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Usagi had showered and changed out of her school uniform. Everyone else had changed as well, and the five girls headed out for a night of karaoke.<p>

The club was hip and cool, with bright flashing lights, and the sounds of karaoke could be heard from outside. Despite the long line, they got inside relatively quickly.

Minako immediately signed everybody up for karaoke, and they settled down to listen to other people sing and wait their turns.

After several truly horrible renditions of famous songs and a couple good ones, it was Minako's turn. Just as she was about to start singing, someone screamed.

"It's a monster! Run!" someone shouted.

"Great, a youma," Usagi muttered. The youma had sealed off the entrance to the club, and there were too many people running about for her to safely transform. Glancing around the room, she spotted a small alcove where she would hopefully be hidden from sight.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" she called out, letting the transformation take over. A minute later, and Sailor Moon was ready for the fight. Peeking out into the room, she tried to gather some information about the youma before jumping into the fray.

It was humanoid, seemingly female, and appeared to have powers over ice, as all exits were sealed over with ice, and the room had dropped in temperature drastically. That was enough for now.

"Hey, over here!" she shouted, diverting the youma's attention from a group of civilians.

The youma glanced up, and tossing a civilian aside, ran towards her at an alarmingly fast speed.

"Crap, it can really run," Sailor Moon muttered to herself. Knowing her tiara or scepter wouldn't be much use until it was weakened, she turned to run, hoping one of the Senshi would cover her. But when she started to run, the floor beneath her turned to ice, and she slipped.

"Fire Soul!" Mars cried out.

The blast of fire hit the youma, giving Sailor Moon enough time to get up and try and regain her footing. Slipping and sliding, she managed to make her way over to the other Senshi as Mars and Venus covered her.

"Mercury, got any useful info?" Sailor Moon asked.

The blue-haired Senshi shook her head. "There isn't much to it. It has a weakness to fire, and its attacks are all ice-based, so my attacks will only help it. It extremely agile and fast, and appears to have quite a lot of stamina as well. The only way to beat it is through strength and perseverance."

Sailor Moon sighed. She had trained so hard earlier she wasn't sure if she had any energy left for the actual fight. She had already pushed herself past her limits, not thinking that she would have to face a youma.

"I'm going to attend to the wounded, since my attacks won't be of any use," Mercury said.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter said.

"Burning Mandala!" Mars shouted at the same time, and the combined attack hit the youma.

"Think it's weak enough?" Mars wondered. "Sailor Moon, finish it off!"

"Here goes," Sailor Moon muttered to herself, and pulled out her scepter. "Moon Scepter Elimination!"

The attack hit the youma, but it wasn't enough to dust it. Sailor Moon swore as she felt her knees buckle.

"Sailor Moon!" Venus cried. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she said. "Nothing to worry about."

The youma sent a blast of ice daggers towards the Senshi, which Mars blocked with her fire.

"I don't know how much more of this we can take," Jupiter said, shivering. "This thing is tough!"

It was true that the youma didn't seem to be affected all that much by the Senshi's attacks, even Mars' fire, and the temperature of the room kept dropping.

The youma, seemingly bored of the Senshi, turned its attention back to the civilians, who had been making futile attempts to escape.

"Oh no you don't!" Sailor Moon cried, running after the youma.

It raised its hands to attack, but instead of attacking Sailor Moon, it raised a wall of ice around the rest of the Senshi, effectively trapping them. Sailor Moon gulped, realizing the youma had just lured her out by herself.

It smiled wickedly at her, and raised its hands to shoot more ice daggers at her. They were coming at her far too quickly for her to run, especially given the icy floor. Pulling out her scepter, Sailor Moon managed to deflect most of the daggers, using the scepter as a shield, but a couple still hit her, cutting her face and arms.

"Fire Soul!" Mars shouted from behind the ice wall.

Sailor Moon could see the attack hit the wall, but it didn't seem to make a difference. She knew she was all alone, so she raised her scepter higher, ignoring her shaking hands, and made a last attempt to dust the youma.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!"

Despite putting all of her energy into it, the youma still wasn't defeated. She could hear Mars and the other Senshi continuing to try and force their way out, but it sounded distant and far away. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized that the combination of her energy loss and the cold were starting to get to her, and she would die if she didn't finish the youma off.

But she felt a pleasant lull into unconsciousness and she didn't want to fight it. Stumbling backwards, she realized she couldn't feel her feet anymore. She hit something hard and cold, and realized the youma had raised another ice wall behind her. Ice manacles formed around her wrists, trapping her place.

The youma produced a long, deadly sharp ice spear, and with an evil glint in its eye raised it high, prepared to strike.

A second before it could throw the spear, a red rose pierced the ground, freeing Sailor Moon from her ice manacles. Suddenly, she felt awake and alert. She knew it was ridiculous to get her hopes up, there was no reason for anything to have changed, and yet… looking up, she saw Tuxedo Kamen.

"Hand over the Silver Crystal," he said, and just like that, her false hopes and daydreams were shattered. The rose on the ground turned black and wilted away.

"Tuxedo Kamen, don't do this!" she said.

"I told you before, I am Prince Endymion of the Dark Kingdom," he said, his voice irritated. "Now, give me the Silver Crystal, and I will spare your life."

"Why are you doing this to me?" she cried. "Don't you remember me? Don't you remember us? I was Princess Serenity of the Moon; you were Prince Endymion of the Earth. And then there were our civilian lives here on Earth. You can't tell me you've forgotten it all."

"None of that matters," he said. "I will not hesitate to kill you, although I do not wish to. This is your last warning. Hand over the Silver Crystal!"

"Please," she begged. "You can't pretend you don't care about me. You can't have just forgotten everything we had so easily."

"The only thing about you I care for is that you are in possession of the Silver Crystal, which I need," he said. "Enough talking, give it to me, or I will take it from you by force."

"Just answer me this," she said. "If you don't care about me, why do you keep saving my life? I know a part of the real you is still in there. You don't have to do this."

He faltered for a second, and in that second Sailor Moon hoped that maybe just maybe she had gotten through to him, but then it was gone.

"You are a worthy foe," he said. "It would be a shame to kill you. But make no mistake, I will get the Silver Crystal from you one way or another."

Sailor Moon shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I don't have time for this," he said, and turned to the youma. "Finish them off, and make sure you obtain the Silver Crystal."

The youma nodded, and produced another ice spear, ready to strike and finish Sailor Moon off once and for all.

Her grief fueling her, Sailor Moon shakily stood up, and raised her scepter. She closed her eyes for a moment, and drew upon all of her pent-up emotions, drumming enough energy for the final blow.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!" she cried, just as the youma threw its spear. The youma turned to dust, and the spear evaporated, inches away from her chest. Sailor Moon sunk to her feet.

The ice covering the exits thawed, as did the wall containing the Senshi. Slowly, the temperature in the room started to return to normal.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars cried out, as the Senshi rushed over to their leader.

Mercury pulled out her computer, quickly analyzing Sailor Moon's injuries.

"She's got a moderate case of hypothermia, and some slight frostbite around her wrists. Luckily the cuts all seem to be superficial wounds only."

"Are you okay?" Venus asked, and Sailor Moon shook her head.

"He's gone," she said, her voice breaking as she started sobbing. She had tried to keep it in, she had tried to be strong, she had tried to pretend that she was okay, and she could deal with this. But she couldn't do it anymore.

"He's just _gone_," she sobbed. "And he's not coming back. I've lost him forever."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please review!<strong>


	19. Lake Resorts and Lovers

**AN: Gaahh, I am so sorry. I have absolutely no idea what happened there. I feel like these past 6 months have just flown by insanely fast, and somehow it's now June and it's been 5 months since I last updated this. SO SORRY. I know I always say I will do better, and I never do, so I won't make any promises. But I HAVE recently made some adjustments to my schedule and to my work plans, so here's hoping that another chapter will be in another week or two, not 5 months.**

**As always, thanks to my amazing reviewers, who keep reviewing even when I suck. Thank you thank you thank you, LoveInTheBattlefield. I know I've been terrible at updating, so I have no right to complain about lack of reviews. But just know that your reviews mean so unbelievably much to me, and the more encouragement and feedback the get, the more it inspires me to get this story finished. (Because, just a warning, there's probably only going to be 2-3 chapters more.)**

**This is long, sorry. But please enjoy, and PLEASE review!**

* * *

><p>The following days and weeks since the fight at the nightclub all blurred together for Usagi. A blur of training, researching, planning, and trying not to think too much about the constant sense of doom that seemed to lurk over their heads. But with each battle they fought, with each time she had to face Mamoru in battle, it was getting harder to ignore. Being Sailor Moon had never been easy, but it was harder now than ever.<p>

"Are you sure you can't find the entrance to the Dark Kingdom?" Rei asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Artemis and I have been doing everything we can, but it's extraordinarily well hidden," Luna said. "And even if we could find it, what good would it do? We have no plan to defeat Queen Beryl, and you girls are not ready to fight her, Kunzite and…" she broke off for a minute, about to mention Endymion, but Usagi was sitting right across from her. "And everyone else," Luna finished lamely.

Usagi sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. "So what do we do, then? We've been training non-stop, nearly working ourselves to death. That's not good for anyone. And we can't just wait for Queen Beryl to attack the Earth and kill anyone. So, _what do we do?_" A note of hysteria crept into her voice.

"We'll find something," Luna promised. "For now, all of you should go home and rest. Resting is just as important as training, and you're right, you've all been working very hard. I'll let you know immediately if Artemis or I find anything."

Slowly, the tired Senshi disbanded, saying their goodbyes as they headed home to rest a little.

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Usagi called as she walked in the door.<p>

"How was study group?" Ikuko asked.

"Tiring," Usagi said, which was accurate. Of course, she couldn't exactly tell her mom that 'study group' was really 'plan on how to keep the Earth from being destroyed group', but that didn't mean she had to completely lie to her mother.

"Well, I have some good news!" Ikuko said cheerfully. "We're going on a vacation!"

"A vacation?" Usagi panicked. "Mama, I don't have time for that… I mean, school is so hard right now, and I really need to study."

"You've been studying near constantly," her mother said. "Although your grades hardly seem to be improving. I really don't like this new group of friends you've been hanging out with, they seem like bad influences. What happened to dear Naru?"

Ikuko broke off, shaking her head. "That's not the point. The point is, all of use could use a little vacation, so we're going a few hours north to spend the weekend at a hot springs resort. We hardly see you anymore, Usagi, so you are going, and I expect no more protests, understand? This is supposed to be fun, not torture."

"I know, mama," Usagi said, forcing a smile. Although a weekend at a hot spring resort sounded heavenly, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to be gone for a weekend when she was needed here to figure out how to defeat Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom. But, she clearly didn't have a choice, so one way or another, the Senshi would have to manage without her.

* * *

><p>Later in the day, Usagi stopped by the Crown Arcade. She hadn't had time to go in ages, and she missed Motoki and his milkshakes.<p>

"Motoki-onii-san!" she called out as she walked through the doors.

"Hey, Usagi!" the blond waiter lifted his head up from the counter, where he was cleaning. "Long time, no see. How have you been?"

"Ugh," was all she said, as she slid into a seat at the counter. "Too much work."

He chuckled at that. "Well, how about a strawberry milkshake with extra whipped cream on top to cheer you up?"

"You're the best, Motoki," Usagi said, beaming at him.

He walked off into the kitchen, and returned a few minutes later, with her milkshake. "And don't worry about paying, this is on me."

"Thank you," she said, taking a big sip. It was sweet and frothy and cool, just the way she liked it.

"Say, have you seen Mamoru lately?" he asked. "He hasn't been here lately, and he wasn't at his apartment."

Usagi swallowed the lump in her throat that appeared when Motoki mentioned Mamoru's name. "No, I haven't. Although it's not like I spend much time with him if I can avoid it. The only reason I regularly saw him was because of the stupid math tutoring you coerced me into doing."

He laughed. "I didn't coerce you, Usagi. Besides was Mamoru really that bad?"

"He's an, arrogant, mean, baka who is a terrible teacher," she said. _"And I wish he was here,"_ she thought to herself.

"Mm-hmm," he said, biting back a grin. "You know, I always thought that if you two could just get past your silly initial hatred of you, you might actually like each other a lot."

"Me? Like that baka?" Usagi protested, but it sounded weak even to her own ears. It was so hard to pretend she didn't care about him when she missed him so much it nearly killed her.

"Well, whatever you say," he said, still smiling. "Anyways, enjoy your milkshake. I have to go take care of these customers."

Usagi sat there, thinking about what Motoki had said. It was certainly true that even as they pretended to hate each other, she had started to fall for Mamoru even before she knew the truth about who he was, and his connection to her in their past lives. But what did it matter? Before she had a chance to be with him, the Dark Kingdom took him. And now Mamoru was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

She pulled out the star-shaped locket she always carried with her, and thought of their past lives, as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, and how their love story had ended tragically back then, too. Perhaps… perhaps she and Mamoru were just not meant to be together. But if that was true, why did loving him feel so right?

Finishing the last of her milkshake, Usagi got up to leave. She didn't have time to be mourning Mamoru, she had to be strong and help defeat Beryl and save the Earth.

* * *

><p>Early the next day, the Tsukino family piled into the car to head to the hot spring resort. Usagi stared contemplatively out the window, thinking about all that she and the rest of the Senshi faced. She thought, not for the first time, how much she wished she could tell her family who she was and what she did.<p>

Turning her attention back to the car, she smiled at how normal things were. Ikuko was being a backseat driver and telling Kenji all of the things he was doing wrong, and Shingo was sprawled out, taking up some of _her_ space.

"Shingo, get your feet off of my seat!" Usagi complained.

In response, her little brother slouched further into his seat, putting his feat even more onto her seat. Usagi shoved her brother's feet off of her seat.

"Hey!" he complained. "Mom, Usagi's shoving!"

"I am not!" she said, sticking her tongue out at her brother. And then for good measure, she gave him a shove.

"See, I _told_ you she was shoving!" he said, when Ikuko turned around to see what the ruckus was about.

"You two behave yourselves," she said, and turned her attention back to her husband and how he should really take a different route to the hot springs resort, as it would be much faster.

Shingo made a face, and shoved his sister right back.

"Let go of me!" she said, pushing her brother away. They scuffled for a few minutes, until the star-shaped locket fell out of Usagi's blouse.

"Ooh, what's that?" he asked. "Did a boy give that to you?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, picking up the locket, and tucking it safely back into her blouse.

"Ooooh!" Shingo said excitedly. "Usagi's got a boyfriend, Odango's dating someone!"

"What's this?" Kenji said, turning around. "You have a boyfriend? Who is he? Why haven't I met him? How old is he? What are his intentions?"

"Relax, papa," she said. "I'm not dating anyone. It's just a locket." It was much more than 'just a locket', but that was one of the many things she couldn't tell her family.

Kenji seemed to relax a little at the assurance that his daughter was not seeing some mysterious man, and turned his eyes back to the road.

Shingo, bored now that he couldn't mock his sister about her potential love life, went back to the video game he'd been playing, leaving Usagi to her thoughts.

* * *

><p>In the center of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl sat on her throne, seemingly bored with the man who kneeled before her.<p>

"My Queen, I worry about Endymion," Kunzite was saying. "I do not fully trust him; I think his allegiance to the Sailor Senshi was too strong before. There have been many times when he had the opportunity to kill Sailor Moon, and he has spared her life. I think we should get rid of him."

"We will do no such thing," Beryl said. "Endymion is a valuable asset. In addition to his physical strength and fighting skills, he has intimate knowledge of how the Sailor Senshi work. Not to mention, of course, that the Sailor Senshi are reluctant to kill him, and his appearance brings them pain."

"But my Queen—" Kunzite started.

Beryl held up a hand to stop him. "However, I share your concerns over his behavior towards Sailor Moon. I want you to keep a close eye on him, and inform me if the situation changes."

"Of course, my Queen," he said, bowing deeply before leaving.

"Endymion _will _be mine…." She said to herself. "He _is_ mine, and that stupid Sailor Moon cannot stop me this time."

* * *

><p>The Tsukino family arrived at the resort, and Usagi had to admit she was glad she had come. There were multiple hot springs spread about on the grounds of the resort, as well as a nearby lake. She breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of minerals from the hot springs.<p>

Wandering off in the direction of the lake, she heard a faint melody. Pulling the star locket out of her shirt, she found that it had started to play its sad, mournful tune. Sighing, she sat down by the lake and listened to the melody.

Although she certainly didn't remember everything about her past life, more memories had been starting to return to her. She remembered how she and Endymion were so in love, but weren't supposed to be together, as he was from the Earth, and she was from the Moon.

And she remembered that right before a terrible battle, she gave Endymion her locket, so he wouldn't forget her love for him. It was funny how the melody, which had once seemed pretty and romantic, now just sounded like heartbreak.

A twig snapping pulled her out of her reverie, and she looked up just in time to see a dark-haired main disappear into the forest. Her breath caught in her throat, although she hardly dared dream that it was Mamoru. But that man had looked so much like him! Scrambling to her feet, she ran off after the man.

"Mamoru!" she called out. "_Mamoru!_"

She caught up to the man, who was standing in front of a statue depicting two people locked in a romance embrace.

"Mamoru?" she said.

The man turned around. "I have told you, I am Prince Endymion of the Dark Kingdom. I don't know who this 'Mamoru' is, but I am not he."

"Please," she begged. "You can't have forgotten everything about you. I know there's still a part of you in there, Mamoru. A part of you which remembers me, and the love we shared."

"My loyalties lie with Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom alone," he said. "I feel nothing towards you, except distaste."

Usagi was about to say something else, when she heard her mother call her name. "Just a second!" she called to her mother. When she turned back around, Mamoru had gone.

"What are you doing out here?" Ikuko said. "Ah, the statue of the two lovers."

"What?" Usagi asked, still distracted by her encounter with Mamoru.

"The statue you're admiring," she said. "Legend has it, a mortal man fell in love with a woman who had descended from the Heavens. They were very much in love, but another woman loved him, too. Jealousy consumed her, and it literally turned her into a monster. The two lovers conquered her with the power of their love, and sealed her away. According to legend, the monster still resides at the bottom of the lake."

Usagi thought about how it sounded like her relationship with Mamoru. She had hazy memories of Beryl in the past, and how she had once been a mortal woman who loved Endymion, and her jealousy and rage when Endymion fell in love with her, as Serenity, caused her to become an evil monster.

"You know, Usagi…" Ikuko started. "It's perfectly natural for you to become interested in boys at your age, and you don't have to hide a relationship from us, just because your father is overprotective. Are you dating the boy who gave you that locket you always wear?"

Usagi shook her head and forced a smile. "No, I'm not. It really is… just a locket. But I promise once I start dating, I will bring him home and introduce him to the whole family."

Ikuko smiled. "Good. I look forward to the day. Now, let's all go back to the hot springs!"

* * *

><p>After Usagi and her mother left, Endymion stepped out of the shadows. He had sensed a great power coming from the lake, which is why he had travelled to it, but he wasn't aware of the story. Something about the story seemed vaguely familiar and sad to him, which made no sense, as he was sure he'd never heard it before.<p>

Calling upon his power, he summoned the youma from the bottom of the lake.

It rose up, a long snake-like body with the torso and head of a woman.

"There is a great battle coming," he said. "Come and join the forces of the Dark Kingdom!"

It hissed at him. "I owe no allegiance to anyone, and I have no desire to fight in your silly battle."

It slithered past him, leaving a trail of poisonous waste in its wake. Endymion realized he had made a mistake in summoning the monster. It was not one of the youma of the Dark Kingdom, it was simply a monster, and it would not be of use to them. He followed after it, determined to fix his mistake.

* * *

><p>Usagi was just getting out of a hot spring with her family when she heard the sounds of people screaming.<p>

"A monster!" someone yelled. "Everybody run for your lives!"

Descending on the crowd was a giant snake monster, with the torso and head of a woman. It opened its mouth to attack, but paused when it saw Usagi.

"You!" it breathed, and suddenly turned its attention towards her. "You will pay!"

"I didn't even do anything this time!" she protested. Still, the situation was serious. The youma was focused on her, and there was nowhere to run. She was surrounded by civilians, not to mention her family. Transforming in front of them was an absolute last resort, better only than dying or letting innocent people die.

The monster let out a cloud of poisonous breath, which melted the trees behind where she stood with her family.

"Duck!" she shouted, launching herself at her family to knock them to the ground.

"Stay away from my daughter!" Kenji picked up a tree branch and waved it threateningly at the monster.

"Papa!" Usagi cried out. She could let her father get hurt, that wasn't an option. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for the inevitable. She would half to transform into Sailor Moon.

But just before she could, a rose pierced the arm of the youma, and it turned around, abandoning Kenji.

"Tuxedo Kamen?" she wondered. Could it be…? She knew she shouldn't get her hopes up, he was evil now, brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom. And yet why else would he be saving her?

"Make no mistake," he said quietly, so only Usagi could hear. "I am still Endymion of the Dark Kingdom. I have no desire to fight with you, and my allegiance lies with Queen Beryl. But I am the one who summoned this monster, believing it would fight with the Dark Kingdom. It was my mistake, and I will not let innocent people be hurt for it."

"Thank you," she said.

"I know you cannot transform in front of your family," he said. "Go, I can handle this."

She nodded her thanks, and ran off with her family, glancing over her shoulder worriedly at Tuxedo Kamen. Despite the fact that he was working for the Dark Kingdom, she just _knew_ he wasn't completely gone.

All of the Shitennou had never hesitated to hurt innocent people, and they had all sought to kill her, too. Why would Endymion of the Dark Kingdom be any different? He wouldn't, unless some part of Mamoru was still in there.

"What _was_ that?" Shingo wondered. "Whatever it is, I hope it dies. Maybe Sailor Moon will appear and save the day!"

"Let's get away from here, quickly," Ikuko said, grabbing Shingo by the hand and pulling him along.

Usagi followed reluctantly, still looking over her shoulder at Tuxedo Kamen. He was fighting hard, but the monster was very powerful.

"Fire Soul!"

All of a sudden, a blast of fire hit the youma, diverting its attention from Tuxedo Kamen.

"I'll be there in one minute!" Usagi called out to her family, running back towards the fight, as they kept running away. Ducking behind a tree, she quickly called out her transformation, and a moment later, she was ready to join the fight.

"Hey, you there!" she called out. "I am the one you want to fight. I am Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice, and in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

Her usual speech done, she turned to Tuxedo Kamen. Speaking more quietly, she told him, "I love you. I know you claim you are Endymion of the Dark Kingdom, and that you feel nothing but distaste towards me. But I can't believe that. So please, try and remember who you are. And never forget that I love you."

She turned back to the youma, not waiting to see if he had a response to her declaration of love. She knew it wasn't enough to make him himself again, but she hoped that maybe it would help just a little.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus shouted, at the same time Jupiter sent out her lightning attack. The combined attack hit the youma, but it had no effect.

Angry, the monster knocked Sailor Moon over with its heavy, spiked tail.

"Sailor Moon!" Mercury cried out. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she said, getting to her feet. "Alright, time to dust this thing. Moon Tiara Action!" Her tiara hit the monster squarely, but it too had no effect.

"What's going on?" Sailor Moon asked. Normally, even if she failed to dust a youma, it would be weakened by her attack.

"Wait a minute…" Mars said. "Guys, I think it's a spirit!"

She pulled out one of her sacred scrolls, and chanted prayer words over it. Flinging it at the monster, it hit it, and the monster recoiled.

"Now heal it!" Sailor Mars shouted.

Pulling out the Crescent Moon Wand, Sailor Moon focused all of her energy into it. "Moon Healing Escalation!"

The light from the Silver Crystal hit the monster, and it faded away, the spirit of the woman it had once been disappearing.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Sailor Moon. She held her breath, barely allowing herself to believe it could work. If it _did_ work… she didn't know why she hadn't thought of this earlier, it seemed so obvious.

Summoning every single ounce of energy she had in her body, she focused it all on the Crescent Moon Wand and the Silver Crystal.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" she called once more, this time aiming the command towards Tuxedo Kamen. It took him by surprise, and he didn't have any time to duck or deflect it.

For a moment, Sailor Moon wondered if perhaps she was wrong, and it hadn't done anything, for he looked no different. But then he looked towards her, and she could see that there was light in his eyes again. Ever since he had been brainwashed, his eyes had been completely devoid of any light or emotion. But now… now he looked like himself again.

She held her breath, not knowing what to say, hardly daring to let herself believe it had indeed worked.

"Usako?" he said, and suddenly she knew it had worked, and her heart felt like it was about to burst. She realized she was crying and gasping for air, and he looked so happy to see her, and she started towards him, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms.

But suddenly Kunzite appeared, and before Tuxedo Kamen or any of the Sailor Senshi could get another word out, he grabbed Tuxedo Kamen by the arm, and the two of them teleported away.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews make the world go 'round. :)<strong>


	20. The Truth Revealed

**AN: Woot, chapter 20! I apologize for the ****long delay in updating, AGAIN. Urgh. My excuse is the six weeks of ballet camp I did, it left me much more tired than I thought. :P Sorrrryyy. Anyways, this story is seriously wrapping up! There will probably only be two more chapters. However, I already have a semi-sequel planned, so stay tuned. :)**

**As always, thanks to my fantastic reviewers: LaNaHwAnNa, LoveInTheBattleField, and AngelEye. (Also, AngelEye, since you're anonymous, I couldn't reply, but I wanted to let you know how much i appreciated the feedback! Constructive criticism is always welcome, and your feedback was so helpful. I hope this chapter is more to your liking, as it's not so canon-based.)**

**Without further ado, Changes chapter 20!**

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><p>Sailor Moon fell to the ground where Tuxedo Kamen had been standing just a minute ago. She could barely process what had happened. He had been healed, he had been himself again! It had <em>worked<em>. But it hadn't been enough. She hadn't been fast enough, or strong enough, and now he was gone again. What would the Dark Kingdom do with him now that he was back to his old self?

"Usagi," Venus said hesitantly, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I know this must be so hard for you, but he's gone, and you have to be strong. You're our leader, and we need you to figure out how to defeat Beryl and the Dark Kingdom."

Sailor Moon drew in a shaky breath. "You're right. I cannot let them win. It is my duty as a sacred warrior to protect the people of this planet, and I will not fail them."

She stood up, her shoulders squared, her eyes set with determination. Only her fists, clenched and trembling by her sides, betrayed how much effort it took for her to not fall to pieces.

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><p>In the furthest reaches of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl was supervising Tuxedo Kamen's transformation. She shouldn't have been so careless last time; he was too easily healed by Sailor Moon. All of the times when he could have killed Sailor Moon but didn't should have tipped her off that her brainwashing hadn't taken full effect. But make no mistake, this time she would get the job done.<p>

"My Queen," Kunzite came into the room and bowed deeply. "How is it going?"

"Well… very well," she smiled. "He will be one of us, fully. I have erased every last feeling of love or allegiance towards Sailor Moon that he had. He will be a warrior for the Dark Kingdom."

Her smile broadened, as she thought about all that meant. At long last, everything she wanted was within reach. She had Endymion, and soon she would have Earth as well.

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><p>The next day, once everyone was back from the lake resort, the Senshi, Luna, and Artemis gathered at the Hikawa shrine, which they were using for their base of operations.<p>

"Artemis and I have been searching for the entrance to the Dark Kingdom, but we've had no luck," Luna said. "Ami, we could really use your help on this. Rei, has the Great Fire shown you anything useful?"

Rei shook her head. "It's been quiet lately, but I'll go pray at it again."

Luna sighed. "We need to find an entrance as soon as we can. The energy readings surrounding Earth's atmosphere are becoming more and more erratic. I fear if we don't find an entrance and stop Beryl soon, it will be too late."

Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, a loud explosion sounded from outside.

"What was that?" Makoto said, running towards the door. Outside in the courtyard, one of the pillars supporting the archway had collapsed, and there was a small fire. Through the smoke, a youma appeared.

"Everybody, transform!" Artemis shouted.

The girls shouted out their transformation sequences, and rushed out into the courtyard. The youma was giant, and not at all humanoid. It looked vaguely reptilian, with a large spiked tail, and a hard, scaly body.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury cried out, dowsing the small fire before it could spread.

The youma roared something unintelligently, and hurled what looked like small balls of fire towards the Senshi. They all dove to the side to avoid it, and the balls of fire exploded on impact.

"Jupiter, Mars, you go around to the other side," Sailor Moon said. "I'll provide distraction, and then we can finish it off once we have it surrounded."

Jupiter and Mars nodded in affirmation, and ran off to corner the youma.

"Hey, lunkhead!" Sailor Moon shouted, diverting the youma's attention from her friends. "Yeah, you. Don't you want me, the all-powerful leader of the Senshi? Come and get me if you can!"

The youma roared again, sending more fire grenades Sailor Moon's way. She expertly dodged them, which seemed to irritate the youma.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus called out, hitting the youma squarely.

It screamed in pain, and turned towards Venus. Its long, spiked tail swung out and slammed into Sailor Moon, sending her flying.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shouted, providing some cover, before rushing over to her fallen leader.

Venus got there first, and anxiously hovered over the collapsed Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon?"

"Ugh," Sailor Moon grunted weakly.

"Try not to move too much," Mercury said, assessing her wounds. "One of the spikes hit you pretty badly. I can't tell how much damage has been done until I do a complete scan, which will take awhile."

"I'm fine," Sailor Moon said, trying to sit up. She had superficial scrapes and bruises from the hard landing, but Mercury was right, one of the spikes had hit her hard. She had a deep stab wound in her side, which was bleeding profusely.

"I told you not to move," Mercury admonished. "You'll lose more blood."

"I need to finish off the youma," she protested. "Jupiter and Mars can't finish it by themselves."

The two Senshi had been valiantly fighting the youma while Venus and Mercury attended to Sailor Moon, but it was clear they were struggling.

Forcing herself to her feet, she pulled out her scepter. "Moon Scepter Elimination!"

The attack hit the youma, successfully dusting it, and Sailor Moon collapsed to the ground, too weakened from the loss of blood to resist unconsciousness.

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><p>Back inside the shrine, everyone, minus Rei, waited anxiously while Ami attended to Usagi's wounds, and did a complete scan to make sure there was no internal damage. Rei was in the fire room, doing another reading to see if she could find any information about the Dark Kingdom. After what seemed like eternity, Ami reappeared.<p>

"How is she?" Makoto asked anxiously.

"She's fine," Ami said. "She lost a lot of blood, but there's no internal damage. She's just resting for a bit."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, so thankful that Usagi was all right. Rei walked in them, her face ashen and pale.

"Usagi's fine," Minako said.

Rei smiled a little, but she still looked pale, and like she had suffered some sort of great shock.

"Now that you're all here, there are some Senshi matters I need to discuss," Luna said.

"Shouldn't we wait until Usagi is up?" Makoto asked. "She's the leader, and I know she'll want to be a part of this."

"I found the entrance to the Dark Kingdom," Luna said.

"That's wonderful!" Makoto said. "But again, I really think we should wait until Usagi's up. We could rouse her now, if you think she's up for it, Ami, but we can't just discuss this without her."

"No," Rei said vehemently. "Usagi can't be a part of this discussion. She can't ever know about this."

"Rei is correct," Luna said. "You are not to mention any of this to Usagi, not ever."

Makoto and Ami shared a look.

"What's going on here?" Makoto asked. "I know you've never really liked Usagi, Rei, but shutting her out of the group? Really?"

"That's not true," Rei interjected.

"And Luna, Usagi's improved so much lately," Ami said. "I know you're hard on all of us, and especially her, for good reason, but you've seen how much effort she's been making to step up as a leader."

"I'm not doing this because I hate Usagi," Rei said, her eyes shining with tears. "You don't understand what's going on."

"I have known about the entrance to the Dark Kingdom for a few days now," Luna admitted. "But I have kept it secret, because along with learning how to access the Dark Kingdom, I have discovered the only way to defeat Queen Beryl. I have searched for a different solution, but there is none. All of my efforts have come back to the same solution."

"And I just did a fire reading," Rei said. "Luna told me about it, and asked me if the Great Fire would have any answers, but I drew the same conclusion."

"The only way to defeat Queen Beryl is if Usagi uses the full power of the Silver Crystal," Luna said.

"So?" Makoto asked. "I'm not quite sure I'm following. If it's only possible for Usagi to defeat Queen Beryl, why can she not know? This is great news, we know how to save Earth!"

"You don't get it!" Rei said. "The Silver Crystal draws on Usagi's life force, that's how it works. If she uses its full power, it will kill her! In order to defeat Queen Beryl, Usagi has to die!"

There was a loud crash outside the archway, and they turned around to see Usagi standing there, the mug of tea she'd been holding lying broken on the ground.

"Usagi…" Rei said, her words trailing off, as Usagi had clearly heard what she'd said.

"I have to die?" Usagi whispered. "I don't… understand."

"I'm so sorry, Usagi," Luna said. "Maybe the information I've gathered is wrong, maybe the Senshi can help you channel the Silver Crystal…" she trailed off, as the words sounded false even to her own ears.

"I'm fourteen," Usagi said. "I can't _die_! I just…"

She turned on her heel and fled, running towards the exit of the shrine as fast as she could.

"Usagi!" Rei called after her.

"Let her go," Luna said. "I think she needs some time to adjust to it."

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><p>Usagi wandered down the streets, paying no attention to where she was going. She has heard the tail end of the conversation, and Rei's words kept playing through her mind: <em>in order to defeat Queen Beryl, Usagi has to die!<em> Die. It was such a harsh word.

She supposed, in some ways, it really shouldn't scare her so much. She faced death on a daily basis, fighting youmas who had the intent of destroying the world. She had had a few brushes with death. Hell, she'd even died before, in her past life as Serenity!

And yet… this felt so different. She knew that she had once been Serenity, and had some memories of it, but Serenity still sort of felt like a different person. And all of the times she had faced death before had been so different, too. She had always known there was a chance that she might die, she always knew there was that risk, but it had never seemed real. Until now.

She was only fourteen, she didn't want to die! She should be hanging out at the arcade with friends, drinking milkshakes and flirting with cute boys, her only worries about whether she would get into a good high school. She shouldn't have to save the world. She shouldn't have to die.

Suddenly, all she wanted to do was go home to her family, enjoy one of her mama's delicious home-cooked meals, argue with her little brother, and then read some comics and go to sleep. A normal evening, a normal life. The kind of normal life she'd had before discovering she was Sailor Moon.

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><p>"I'm home!" she called out several minutes later, as she walked through the door of her house.<p>

"Perfect timing!" Ikuko said. "Dinner is almost ready. Call down your brother to help set the table, will you?"

"Shingo!" Usagi called. "Come help me set the table!"

"Coming!" he yelled back, coming down the stairs. "Where have you been all day, Usagi-baka?"

"I was at study group," she said, sticking her tongue out at her brother. "Getting into a good high school is important to me."

"And yet your grades still suck," he said.

"Ugh, they do not!" she complained.

"Smells delicious!" Kenji said, walking through the door a minute later.

"How was work, dear?" Ikuko asked.

"Oh, the usual," Kenji said. "Nothing terribly interesting."

"Well, you're just in time for dinner," Ikuko said. "That is, if Usagi and Shingo can stop arguing and set the table." She waved a soup ladle at them threateningly.

"Sorry," Usagi said, and started setting the table.

A moment later, they all sat down to eat. As they ate, Shingo bragged about his great grades in school, Kenji told stories about his work as a magazine editor, and Ikuko laughed and smiled, providing everyone with more than enough food.

And suddenly it hit Usagi: this is what she was fighting for. Of course she didn't want to die, but she had been so selfish, only thinking about herself. If she chose not to fight, Beryl and the Dark Kingdom would win. Her family, and everyone on the whole planet, would suffer greatly.

How could she do that to them? She couldn't. Being a Sailor Senshi meant protecting the world from dangers like the Dark Kingdom, at all costs. Even if the cost was her life. She knew what she had to do.

After dinner was finished, Usagi went up to her room. She knew she would have to wait to leave until everyone was asleep, so she had a few hours to kill. She looked around her room, surveying everything that was in it. She hadn't spent much time in it these past few months, she was always spending the day at the Shrine, or out fighting youmas. It seemed like it belonged to a different Usagi.

Sighing, she sat down on her bed. She wished she could tell her parents and her little brother how much they meant to her. She wished she could have had a real relationship with Mamoru, maybe even brought him back to the house and introduced him to Kenji. There were so many things she wished, but she didn't have time for regrets.

She had to be strong; she had to save the world.

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><p>A couple hours later, once Usagi was sure everyone was sleeping, she snuck downstairs. Sighing, she took one last glance around her house, before heading towards the back door.<p>

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice said.

Usagi turned around and found her mother standing there, her arms crossed.

"Mama!" she said. "What are you doing up?"

"Just answer me, Usagi," Ikuko said.

"I'm just going out for a little walk," she said. "I couldn't sleep."

Ikuko shook her head. "No. The truth, Usagi. Because I have had enough of your lies."

"I… don't know what you mean," Usagi said.

"You've always been an excellent sleeper," Ikuko said. "Never once in your life have you had problems sleeping. And yet these past few months, you've been disappearing at all hours of the night, and I want to know why."

"I…" Usagi trailed off, unsure what to say. She hadn't realized that Ikuko had noticed any of that.

"You think I haven't noticed?" she said, as if reading her daughter's thoughts. "You've been out of the house all day, claiming you're at study group. And yet your grades haven't improved at all, and I know you're smarter than that. You've been sneaking out in the middle of the night, and returning with inexplicable cuts and bruises, which I know are not just a product of your clumsiness. I have turned a blind eye these past several months, hoping that whatever is going on would just go away, but it hasn't. So tell, me Usagi. _What is going on?_"

"Mama…" Usagi said, biting her lip. "I can't explain it, okay? I wish I could but I just can't. You have to trust me on this."

"How can I do that?" Ikuko asked, clearly fighting back tears. "How can I pretend I don't see you changing before my eyes? You've become more mature, but you seem so haunted all the time. You're clearly involved in something dangerous, but what? Is it drugs, gangs? What is it that's so bad you can't even tell me, your mother?"

"It's nothing like that," she said. "It's… it's actually something pretty wonderful. And I wish I could tell you, I really could, but it wouldn't be safe for you."

"Why? What do you think you're protecting me from? Whatever it is, tell me, and we can go to the police together. It doesn't have to be like this."

"I'm Sailor Moon," Usagi blurted out.

"What?" Ikuko said, shell-shocked.

"I'm Sailor Moon," she said again, this time more confidently.

"No… that's not possible."

"Think about it!" Usagi said. "Ever since Sailor Moon showed up a few months ago I've been leaving the house at all hours of the night, and coming home with mysterious injuries. You've washed the dirt and blood from my clothing countless times, and you can't figure it out? I'm Sailor Moon."

"I can't accept that," Ikuko said.

"It's the truth," she said. "That's why I've matured, and why you feel like I look haunted. It's wonderful and it's horrible, but it doesn't even matter, because I don't have a choice. This is who I am."

"Well, whatever is going on stops right now," Ikuko said.

"No, it doesn't!" Usagi said. "It never stops! Do you think I wanted this? That I chose to become Sailor Moon? Do you have any idea how lonely it is, never being able to tell my family who I am? Or how scary it is, facing evil on a daily basis? I would so much rather be hanging out at the arcade, or shopping with Naru, or even studying! But I can't. The world is in imminent danger, and I am the only one who can stop it."

She made a move towards the door.

"If you leave this house, don't even think about ever coming back!" Ikuko said.

"I'm sorry, mama," Usagi said, and she walked out the door.

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><p>A short while later, she appeared at the Hikawa Shrine. She knew it was late, but she couldn't wait until morning.<p>

"Usagi?" Rei asked sleepily as she opening the door.

"Gather everyone," she said. "It's time to infiltrate the Dark Kingdom, and end things once and for all."

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><p><strong>AN: I have to give credit where credit is due, and parts of this were heavily inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Usagi finding out she has to die to save the world was inspired by the season 1 finale 'Prophecy Girl', and Usagi's conversation with her mom was very heavily inspired (and vaguely paraphrased) by the season 2 finale Becoming, Part Two. All rights go to Joss Whedon!<strong>

**All that aside, I've noticed a lot of similarities between Sailor Moon and Buffy. In case you're curious about my random musings, you can read my thoughts on it here: roseeverafter. livejournal 958. html (spaces deleted.)**

**Finally, please please please review! Virtual hugs and cookies to all who do.**


	21. The Final Battle

**AN: Wow, this is it. This is the finale of Changes! Although of course a special thank you goes out to my reviewers - Can' . .name, Sirius-Black-is-not-dead, LoveInTheBattleField, AngelEye, and WhiteWinterStar (also, 5 reviews? You guys are amazing.) - I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has read this far.**

**I started this story just about three and a half years ago, and I know updates have often been slow, but you guys have stuck with me. This story has really evolved a lot over the past 3 1/2 years, and it's also my longest project to date. Sooo, I'm pretty proud of it and myself, for finishing it. And I am so grateful to everyone who has read this story. I love you all.**

**I will be posting a short epilogue to wrap things up, but this is the real end. This chapter is where all the action is at, so please please please review. It means the world to me. **

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><p>It was the middle of the night, but the five Senshi, Luna, and Artemis were all gathered at the Hikawa shrine, all wide-awake.<p>

"Usagi…" Luna began. "You don't have to do this. We can find another way to stop Beryl and the Dark Kingdom."

Usagi shook her head. "We don't have time. Youma attacks have been increasing in frequency, and the Dark Kingdom continues to get stronger. If we don't stop them now, it will be too late."

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone considered the weight of Usagi's words.

Finally, Rei said, "We'll be with you the whole way. Maybe we were wrong. Maybe, if we're with you and help you fight, things will end differently."

Usagi leaned back on her elbows, looking up at the ceiling. "It's okay. I've accepted this. I mean, once I thought about it, me dying or the whole world being taken over by the Dark Kingdom… it's not really much of a choice. Besides, have any of us ever really thought we would live long lives?"

She looked around at the other Senshi, who remained silent.

"We fight evil on a daily basis, constantly risking our lives. Ever since we were called to be Senshi, it kinda seems like our fate was sealed. At least this way, I'll go out saving the whole world and defeating the Dark Kingdom. That's better than some random youma attack."

"I'm really proud of you, Usagi," Luna said. "You've matured so much. I know that the life of the Senshi hasn't been easy for you, but you've really risen to the occasion."

"Thank you, Luna," Usagi said, her voice a near whisper and thick with unshed tears.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said after a moment, all traces of sorrow gone from her voice. Suddenly, she was the fierce warrior Sailor Moon, ready to defeat evil, instead of Usagi, the young girl grieving her lost future.

"Let's go, then," Makoto said, standing up.

The girls all called out their transformation sequences, and a moment later, the mighty Senshi were standing in the middle of Hikawa Shrine.

"Good luck," Artemis said.

The Senshi bid farewell to Artemis and Luna, and teleported to the North Pole, right where Luna had told them the entrance to the Dark Kingdom was. A moment later, they arrived.

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><p>Queen Beryl smiled to herself as the Senshi appeared in the crystal ball of her scepter. It didn't matter that they had discovered the location to their kingdom. In fact, she was glad they had. They thought this a victory, their discovery.<p>

But this was _her_ kingdom. She was strongest here, and she would defeat the Senshi and Sailor Moon once and for all. Besides, she had a secret weapon they weren't expecting. Endymion. He was stronger now, and entirely loyal to her, and her only.

"My youma!" she called out.

"Yes, my Queen?" A group of five youma appeared before her a moment later.

"The Senshi have arrived. Go now, and kill them all, except for Sailor Moon. I want to kill her myself."

"Of course," the lead youma said, bowing deeply.

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><p>The Senshi walked in silence for several minutes, trying not to shiver from the fierce winds and biting cold.<p>

"Stay alert," Venus said. "They probably know we're coming, and could attack at any minute."

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Mars muttered.

"What's that up ahead?" Sailor Moon wondered, peering into the distance. "Is it… Tuxedo Kamen?" She rushed forward, the Senshi hurrying to keep up.

A battered and bruised Tuxedo Kamen hung by his hands from a tree branch; his head drooped, seemingly unconscious.

"Mamoru!" Sailor Moon shrieked, rushing forward.

"Careful!" Mercury said. "It could be an illusion."

"But what if it isn't?" Sailor Moon said. "I know he was brainwashed and working for them before, but I healed him. Maybe once they brought him back, and he was good, they tortured him."

"Give me a minute, I can figure this out," Mercury said, pulling out her computer. "I should be able to calculate whether what we're seeing is indeed Tuxedo Kamen, or an illusion by the enemy intended to trick us."

Hesitantly, Sailor Moon stepped forward, and placed a hand on Tuxedo Kamen's cheek.

"Look out!" Jupiter said, shoving Sailor Moon out of the way. 'Tuxedo Kamen' opened his eyes, and the illusion faded, revealing a youma. The youma struck out with its tentacles, hitting Sailor Jupiter.

"Jupiter!" Sailor Moon cried out, picking herself up off the ground, and running towards her fallen friend.

"Stay back!" Jupiter yelled, fending off the youma. "Sailor Moon, you are the only one who can defeat Beryl. You have to stay safe."

Suddenly, another youma appeared from behind, sending a burst of electricity towards the Senshi. Venus threw herself at Sailor Moon, knocking her out of the way of the blast.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter yelled, but her attack barely seemed to hurt the youma. Three more youma appeared to join the fight, and Jupiter cursed.

"Okay, I've had enough of this!" she grabbed one of the youma, picking it up over her head, ready to hurl it away. But before he had a chance, the tentacles of another youma struck her, circling around her waist.

Sailor Moon grabbed her tiara, ready to cut Jupiter free from the vine-like tentacles, but she froze a moment later. The youma and Jupiter were too intertwined. If she tried to strike at the youma, she would likely hit Jupiter.

"Wait!" she said, halting Mars who has been preparing an attack. "We'll risk hitting Jupiter if we attack."

The Senshi looked on in shock and horror as they stood idly by, while Jupiter was being hit by blast after blast of lightning.

"Heh, using electricity on me?" Jupiter said, smiling weakly. "You should really know better. Supreme Thunder!"

The blast hit the two youma she was caught between, but it seemed to do little damage.

"I said, Supreme Thunder!" she cried out again. This time, the electricity grew bigger and bigger, much more powerful than anything Jupiter had produced before, until it completely enveloped her and the two youma attacking her.

"Jupiter!" the Senshi all cried out, rushing towards the crater which had been created as a result of Jupiter's blast.

"Makoto?" Sailor Moon asked tearfully.

Jupiter slowly opened her eyes, as if it took great effort. "You must be strong, Usagi. There's no time for tears."

"Quick, Mercury, attend to her wounds!" Sailor Moon ordered.

"It's too late for that," Jupiter said, weakly shaking her head. "Please, Usagi. Remember what Luna said. You are the only one who can defeat Queen Beryl, so you have... to… stay… strong." She trailed off, and dropped her head.

"Makoto!" Sailor Moon screamed, clawing at the frozen earth.

"Usagi, we have to keep fighting," Mercury said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But Jupiter… she's _dead_!" Sailor Moon said.

"We all knew that would be a strong possibility," Mercury said. "Rationally speaking, the chances of us surviving the defeat of the Dark Kingdom are quite small. But we all made our decision a long time ago, and so did you."

"I don't think I can do this," Sailor Moon said.

"You don't have a choice," Mercury said simply. "Now hurry, the enemy is coming back. Jupiter killed two, but that means there are still three left. Mars and Venus, you continue on with Sailor Moon, make sure she reaches the end safely. I'll fend off the youma from here."

"No, Ami, don't do this," Sailor Moon said, her voice desperate. "You can't die!"

"I won't," Mercury said smiling. "I'll see you again, that's a promise."

Reluctantly, Sailor Moon let herself get dragged away by Jupiter and Venus. "I hate being lied to," she whispered to herself.

* * *

><p>Mercury faced down the incoming youma. She knew she wouldn't survive this. But Venus and Mars were stronger fighters, and the only thing which mattered was getting Sailor Moon to Beryl, alive.<p>

A wave of lava came flowing over a hill towards Mercury, but she stood calm. "Shabon Spray!"

She managed to freeze the lava, but she still had three youma to deal with. Before she even had a chance to go on the offensive, vines hit her from behind, pulling her into mid-air. She gasped as the vines tightened around her waist, crushing her.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" she tried to call out, but she couldn't free her hands, and unlike Jupiter, she could not attack without using them.

A blast of dark energy hit her, and she cried out in pain. With a burst of strength, she managed to free one arm, and she grabbed at her computer. If she could just find a weakness, maybe she could kill one before she was killed.

After a couple seconds, she found something. It wasn't quite a weakness, but it would do. The gem in the center of the forehead of the youma that appeared to be the leader was the source of the illusions. Another blast of energy hit her, and her vision started to darken.

_Focus,_ she told herself. She couldn't die just yet. Mustering up the little strength she had left, she raised her computer and smashed the gem which was in control of the illusions. The youma angrily backhanded her, and sent her crashing into a rock.

_At least I destroyed the illusions_, she thought as everything started to go black. _I hated seeing Usagi so torn up over that illusion of Tuxedo Kamen. Perhaps now she can focus on fighting_.

* * *

><p>Venus, Mars and Sailor Moon were walking along in the frozen tundra, when suddenly Sailor Moon stopped.<p>

"Mercury is dead," she said. "I... I can _feel_ it. She's gone!"

"Then that means the youma will be coming for us soon," Venus said. "We must be on the lookout."

"Didn't you hear me? Mercury is _dead_!" Sailor Moon screamed. "Our friend! Our teammate! She's _gone_, and she's never coming back! Why doesn't that affect you?"

"Of course it affects us," Mars snapped. "But we're warriors. We fight, and sometime we die. What you said earlier was right. None of us really expected to live long, full lives. Our line of work is dangerous, and we've made our peace with that."

"But I meant me, not you!" Sailor Moon was screaming again. "_I'm_ the one who is supposed to die! Not you! I can't stand it, I just can't!" she broke off, sobbing.

"Look out!" Venus cried out as the ground beneath Sailor Moon began to glow with an imminent attack. She ran forward, shoving Sailor Moon out of the way.

"Venus!" Sailor Moon cried out in despair.

The youma snatched Venus, pulling her underground, and hitting her with blast after blast of dark energy. A moment later they resurfaced, Venus hanging limply from the youma's grasp.

"I won't give in so easily," Venus said. Her eyes set with steely determination, she raised a hand, and placed it on the forehead of the youma torturing her. "Crescent Beam!"

The blast exploded with breathtaking power, killing both Venus and the youma.

"No no no no…" Sailor Moon said, trailing off. She couldn't even find it in her to scream anymore, she just felt… empty.

"Usagi."

"Go away, Mars," Sailor Moon said. "Go far, far away. Get away from here, it's not too late. You don't have to die!"

She shook her head. "You know I can't do that. I have to keep you alive so you can defeat Queen Beryl and save the world."

"Please," Sailor Moon whispered.

"We don't have much time before they come back," Mars said. "So before I go, I just wanted to say that it's been an honor. I know we've fought a lot, but you're a good friend and a good leader, and I really respect that about you. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay." She smiled slightly. "Go be a hero."

The words had barely left her mouth when two youmas attacked her from behind. They disappeared underground a moment later, and Sailor Moon stood, shell-shocked.

"Mars?" she whispered.

One of the youma reappeared, Sailor Mars nowhere in sight. But before it had a chance to say or do anything, a blast of fire hit it, and it screamed in agony before perishing. The second youma surfaced with Sailor Mars, attacking her one last time before turning towards Sailor Moon.

"I have orders to bring you to Queen Beryl," it said, smiling evilly. "I cannot kill you myself, but Queen Beryl didn't say anything about pain."

It prepared an attack, but was suddenly halted. It looked down, where Sailor Mars had grabbed ahold of one of its trailing tentacles.

"Did I say I was finished?" she said weakly. "Fire… SOUL!"

The last youma died, and Sailor Moon rushed over to her fallen friend, but it was too late. Sailor Mars was already dead, leaving Sailor Moon completely alone.

* * *

><p>Sailor Moon wandered around the wastelands of the North Pole, not even paying attention to where she was going. She knew she should be heading towards the headquarters of the Dark Kingdom. She had a job to do, she had to defeat Queen Beryl and destroy the Dark Kingdom. And yet… she had never felt so alone before.<p>

In her life as Sailor Moon, she had faced many difficult things. She had faced death on a daily basis; she had struggled to keep up with her life as Usagi Tsukino, ordinary schoolgirl. She had dealt with the loss of Mamoru, right after she finally figured out what he meant to her.

She had thought that losing Mamoru was the hardest thing she would have to do. Even when she had learned that she would have to die to defeat Queen Beryl, she had managed to make her peace with it. She understood that she had a greater purpose.

But she never imagined she'd have to do it all alone. All of the Senshi were dead. Her friends, her teammates… they had died protecting her. And she just didn't think she could go through this alone.

"You promised me you'd be with me the whole way," she whispered. "You _lied_! I can't do this alone, I just can't."

She collapsed on the ground, curling up into a tight ball. Oddly, she didn't even feel like crying. Normally, she was a bit of a crybaby, crying was her reaction to everything negative. Disappointment, anger, sadness… she would cry. But now she couldn't even cry. She just felt numb.

Suddenly, Usagi could have sworn she felt the presence of someone standing behind her. She whirled around, tripping in her haste to get to her feet, sure she would discover another youma. It wasn't a youma. She wasn't sure if it was the cold making her see things, but she could clearly see the Senshi standing in front of her.

"You're not alone, Usagi," Mars said. "We _are_ still with you."

"And we'll stay with you, right until the very end," Venus said. "I promise. You won't ever be alone."

"But you have to stay strong now," Mercury said. "You've got a job to do, the whole world needs to be saved."

"I'm proud of you," Jupiter said. "You've come a long way, and you're so close to the end. You can see this through."

Wiping away the tears that had finally started to fall, Sailor Moon nodded her assent. They were right, she couldn't give up now. And even though she knew they weren't really there, that they were all dead, she could still feel their presence if she concentrated. She would never be truly alone.

"Thank you," she whispered to the already-fading spirits of her friends. With new determination, she set forth, towards the entrance to the Dark Kingdom headquarters.

* * *

><p>After what seemed like an eternity of walking, she found the location of the headquarters. She took a deep breath to steady herself, knowing that the hardest part of her journey was still to come.<p>

Suddenly, before she had time to react or even process what was happening, a ball of light hit her from behind, whisking her off into the distance.

A moment later, she found herself being dropped off in what appeared to be the throne room of the Dark Kingdom. The teleport released her, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

"The little Moon Princess, come to die," a voice said. "Welcome."

The shadows parted, revealing a woman with long red hair sitting upon a throne, a wicked smile on her face.

"Queen Beryl," Sailor Moon whispered.

"Indeed, I am she," Beryl said. "And this is my loyal servant an partner, Endymion."

The remaining shadows dissipated, and Sailor Moon gasped in shock. Tuxedo Kamen knelt by Queen Beryl's side, his lips pressed to her hand.

"Tuxedo Kamen!" she cried out, rushing towards him.

"Endymion," Queen Beryl said, sounding almost bored. "Kill the Moon Princess."

'Endymion' stalked towards Sailor Moon, as if he were a predator, and she his helpless prey. There was an evil glint in his eye, as he stepped towards her, and then kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying across the room.

Sailor Moon gasped in pain, both physical and emotional. This was clearly not the Endymion she had faced before. In the past, although he had been cold and cruel, Endymion had never truly tried to kill her. He had even helped her once, when she was at the lake resort with her family. But this time… this time he had murder in his eyes.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" she cried out, putting as much strength as she could muster into the healing of Endymion. It had worked before, maybe it could work again.

And yet Endymion stood there, unchanged.

"Your attempts at healing will not work," Queen Beryl said. "I realized my mistake from last time, and ensured it did not happen again. Now he is truly and completely a member of the Dark Kingdom. If you hand over the Silver Crystal, your death will be quick and painless."

"Never," Sailor Moon said. "I won't let you win."

Queen Beryl just smirked. "Don't you understand, Moon Princess? I've already won. All your Senshi are dead, your prince is mine. _You lose_."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Please, Tuxedo Kamen! Please!"

But her cries fell on deaf ears as he picked her up by her throat, lifting her off the ground. She clawed at his hands, gasping for air as he choked the life out of her. Tears streamed down her face. Was this how she was going to die? Killed by her one true love, before she even had a chance to fight back?

Just as the edges of her vision began to darken, the hand wrapped around her throat released her, and she fell to the ground, clutching her throat and gasping for air.

"Don't do this," she whispered to him. "Please, Tuxedo Kamen, remember who I am! Please, Mamoru!"

He pulled out a black rose, and dropped it to the ground in front of her. "Die, Sailor Moon."

Vines sprouted from the rose, wrapping around her arms and torso, and a second later, dark energy burst through her veins. Sailor Moon screamed in pain, as the thorns bit into her skin and the dark energy coursed through her. It felt like every fiber of her body was being torn to shreds.

Again, just before she succumbed to unconsciousness or death, Endymion stopped his attack. Tears streamed down Sailor Moon's face. How could he do this to her? She knew it wasn't really Tuxedo Kamen, it wasn't really Mamoru. It was some mindless, brainwashed servant of the Dark Kingdom who had once been Mamoru. But it looked exactly like him, and his voice sounded exactly like him, and she couldn't give up hope that maybe somewhere deep inside there was still the man she loved.

She knew she should fight back, kill Tuxedo Kamen. Endymion. She couldn't let her personal feelings get in the way; she had to save the world. And yet… she knew she couldn't. She just couldn't.

"You're all alone, Moon Princess," Beryl mocked. "Your friends are all dead, your prince is gone. Who's going to save you now?"

As Endymion's sword swung down, Sailor Moon brought up the Moon Wand, blocking the blow.

"Me," she said. "You haven't defeated me just yet."

She threw off Endymion's sword, and used the second's delay to grab her tiara, and throw it at Endymion. It hit him right in his chest, and he screamed in pain. For a second, her resolve weakened, but she soldiered on.

It would be so easy to kill him. She knew that's what she should do, and if Tuxedo Kamen were still here, she knew he would want her to kill him. And yet… she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't accept that Mamoru was completely gone, and she couldn't destroy the last shreds of hope she had. So, she couldn't kill him.

But she could weaken him. And so she pushed her tiara a little further, hoping that at least it would injure him enough so his attacks would be less brutal. And maybe, just maybe, weakening his body would weaken the control of the brainwashing.

A moment later, she dropped her tiara, anxiously waiting to see what would happen next. Endymion stood hunched over, gasping in pain and clutching his chest.

"Tuxedo Kamen?" she tentatively asked. "Mamoru?"

He looked up at her, his eyes completely blank and devoid of any emotion. A second later, his eyes cleared, and pure rage and destruction showed clearly in his expression. With a primal scream, he lunged towards Sailor Moon with his sword.

She rolled out of the way just in the nick of time, although his sword did catch her side.

Exhausted, bloodied and bruised, it took great effort for Sailor Moon to haul herself into a sitting position. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at the man she loved standing in front of her, pure rage and evil etched into his face.

He raised his sword to attack once more, and Sailor Moon knew that it was only a matter of time before he killed her.

"Please!" she cried out in desperation. "Don't do this!" Without even realizing what she was doing, she pulled out the star locket.

"Please," she said again as the melody started to play. "Please, you have to remember. Remember how you were Endymion, not of the Dark Kingdom, but of Earth, and I was Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. We were so in love. I gave you this locket before you went off to fight in the war, so you would remember me as you fought.

"Remember how you used your sword not to kill me but to protect me from Queen Beryl, the very woman who is brainwashing you. You have to remember our lives as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, as Usagi and Mamoru, as we found each other and fell in love again. I know you can remember. _Please!_"

There was a short, awful moment of silence as Endymion stood before her, seemingly unchanged by her words, his sword still hanging in midair. Slowly he lowered it, and hesitantly reached out to touch the star locket. The moment he touched it, a bright light enveloped his body.

"Tuxedo Kamen?" she asked quietly, afraid of what the answer might be. "Mamoru?"

"What's been happening?" he said, and as he looked up at her, she saw the brilliant blue of his eyes again, no longer corrupted by rage and hate.

"Mamoru!" she breathed. "Is it… is it really you?"

"Yes, it's me," he said. "Thank you, for healing me. I remember everything."

"No!" Queen Beryl cried out in anger and frustration. "No! I will not let you win, not again! Endymion was _mine!_" She summoned a giant crystal and hurled it at them.

Tuxedo Kamen threw a rose, which was red again, hoping to deflect the crystal. It broke into millions of small shards, and he shielded Sailor Moon from the blast. One of the shards hit him, and he cried out in pain.

"Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon cried out as he collapsed into her arms.

"Fools," Queen Beryl seethed, eyeing the rose which had implanted itself in her chest. "I will be back." She disappeared, leaving Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen alone.

"Mamoru…" Sailor Moon said tearfully. "Please, don't leave me. Not you too."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't really have a choice in it. But please, don't cry over me. You still have a job to do."

"I can't do it alone," she sobbed. "I've lost everyone, you can't leave me, too. Not when I've finally got you back."

"You're not alone," he whispered weakly. "I'll be with you, even if you can't see me. Just… be careful, okay?"

"I love you," she said tearfully.

"I love you too," he said with great effort, before his head fell back and his labored breathing stopped.

Cradling his corpse, Sailor Moon let herself cry for a minute. She knew she couldn't grieve for long; she still had to defeat Queen Beryl. But for now, she cried.

* * *

><p>Queen Beryl knelt before the great ruler of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Metalia. All of the Dark Kingdom's effort to revive the entity had been relatively successful, but Queen Metalia was still incorporeal.<p>

"The time has come, Your Majesty," Queen Beryl said. "Please, lend me your power, and take me as your host. Together, we can defeat Sailor Moon and destroy the Earth!"

"Very well," Queen Metalia said. "My power shall be yours."

* * *

><p>The sky began to darken, despite the fact that it was only mid-afternoon. There was something eerie about it, it didn't just seem like an ordinary storm. Something was going on.<p>

Ikuko shivered. It had been unseasonably cold lately, and it seemed that the monster attacks which plagued Tokyo had increased in frequency lately. Something was definitely going on, and Ikuko didn't like it.

She thought back to her earlier conversation with her daughter. Could Usagi really be Sailor Moon? It seemed impossible. As sweet as Usagi was, she was more than a bit airheaded and ditzy. She hardly seemed like the superhero type.

And yet… it was true that Usagi had seemed more mature lately. There was also a darkness that seemed to haunt her, some sort of horrible responsibility, as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Ikuko shivered again, but this time it wasn't because she was cold. Suddenly, she feared she had made a big mistake, telling Usagi to never come home if she left the house. She hadn't really meant it, she had figured Usagi would show up again in a couple of days, perhaps finally ready to say what had been going on that was causing all this trouble.

But she _had_ explained herself, and Usagi had never been one to lie. Ikuko pulled her sweater a little closer around herself. She didn't even care what was going on with Usagi anymore. She just wanted her daughter in her house where she belonged, happy and safe.

If Usagi was indeed Sailor Moon, then she was probably fighting whatever was going on. In that moment, Ikuko couldn't have been more proud of her daughter, or more terrified for her safety. She hoped that wherever she was, Usagi was okay, and that she would return to her.

* * *

><p>Sailor Moon walked outside the collapsing cavern, where she had left the body of Tuxedo Kamen. She didn't know where Beryl had went, but she didn't have to wonder for long. She saw what she assumed to be Queen Beryl, right before a blast of dark energy hit her.<p>

The Silver Crystal formed a shield around her, and Sailor Moon felt a pillar of ice rising beneath her, raising her up to the level of this new Queen Beryl. The top of the pillar shattered, and she stood there as Princess Serenity, the Moon Wand held confidently before her.

"Die, you insolent Princess!" Queen Beryl said. "You will never defeat me, not here, not with the power of our great ruler, Queen Metalia, running through my veins. DIE!"

She sent a great wave of dark energy towards Sailor Moon, but she held up her Moon Wand and blocked the attack. Even though she had the greatest control over the Silver Crystal in her form as Princess Serenity, she still struggled not to succumb to Queen Beryl's attack.

She recalled the words Luna has said earlier. In order to defeat Queen Beryl, she had to use the full power of the Silver Crystal. But how? She had been so focused on the part where she had to die that she hadn't thought about how the battle might actually proceed. What if she couldn't do it? What if she didn't know how to use the full power of the Silver Crystal?

"Do you feel my power, little Princess?" Queen Beryl asked with a cackle. "This is but a fraction of my strength. I could go on forever, and once you are dead, I will use my power to take over the Earth."

"No," Sailor Moon said.

"No?" Queen Beryl repeated, sounding amused. "You don't have a choice. You may have defeated me a thousand years ago when I failed to conquer the Moon Kingdom, but I guarantee that will not happen again. I will _not_ lose!"

"No," Sailor Moon said again, a little louder. "I won't let you win. This is my planet, and I will defend it until my very last breath, which I assure you, will come after yours."

"Your friends are all dead," Beryl spat. "Your lover is dead. You are powerless against me. You are all alone!"

Sailor Moon winced in pain as the attack encroached further and started to hit her. She closed her eyes, blocking out the pain, and thought of her friends words from earlier. She wasn't alone.

Even now, if she closed her eyes and concentrated, she could feel the presence of the Senshi, and she could feel Tuxedo Kamen's presence, too. She could hear their words, promising her they wouldn't ever leave her alone, promising to stay with her until the end.

She smiled. She could feel their strength pouring into her, she could hear their words of encouragement and reassurance in her ears. She would never be alone, they were all a part of her, and even though they were dead, they weren't truly gone. She opened her eyes again.

"Moon Cosmic Power!" she called out, and she could feel a power stir within her like never before. She could still remember the rush of power she got when she transformed into Sailor Moon for the first time, or when she first used her tiara, or her moon scepter. She had gotten used to them over time, and hardly noticed it any more.

But this… this was different. She had never truly known power until now. It pooled deep within her, its reserves barely tapped, and she understood that all this time she had only been skimming the surface of her true power.

Summoning all of her strength, she called upon every ounce of that power and poured it into the Silver Crystal. It worked, and slowly, the tides began to turn. Beryl's attack dissipated as the power of the Silver Crystal took over.

"No!" Queen Beryl cried out. "I will not be defeated!"

But it was too late, and as the attack hit her, she disintegrated. The power of the Dark Kingdom was no match for the true power of the Silver Crystal.

Sailor Moon fell, no longer able to feel her legs. As she lay on the ground, she knew she was dying. And yet, it wasn't as bad as she thought. It was peaceful, even. There was no more pain, she couldn't really feel anything. As she lay dying, she could almost hear the voices of her friends whispering to her.

"You did it," Mars said. "You really did it! We've won."

"I knew you had it in you," Mercury said. "You've been so strong."

"You were amazing," Jupiter said. "You kicked the butt of the Dark Kingdom!"

"It's all over now," Venus said. "You did an amazing job."

"I love you," Mamoru said. "I'm so proud of all that you've done. It's okay to let go now, you can rest."

And as she faded away, Usagi, now de-transformed, thought about the future. She thought about a typical day in the Tsukino household. She'd wake up late, her mama would yell at her, and Shingo would make fun of her.

At school, Ms. Haruna would yell at her for being late, and make her stand outside in the hallway. At lunch she'd complain to Naru, and after school she'd meet up with her Rei, Makoto, Minako and Ami at the arcade. She'd flirt a little with Motoki, and he'd give her a free milkshake.

As she left the arcade, she'd accidentally bump into Mamoru, and they'd bicker for awhile. Of course, she'd pretend she hated it and hated him, but secretly, she'd always been glad for their encounters. She would stomp off, complaining about the stupid baka to her friends as they all rolled their eyes, knowing how Usagi truly felt about him.

She'd return home in time for one of her mama's delicious home-cooked meals, and she and Shingo would bicker over the dinner table, while her papa sighed and shook his head and her mama threatened to hit them both with her spatula.

After dinner, she'd try and do her homework, before getting too sleepy, and finally giving up and going to sleep. And tomorrow would begin anew.

With her last, dying thought, Usagi wished to just be normal again. She wished to have a life where she and her friends could go shopping, and not have to worry about youma attacks. She wished to have a life where she and Mamoru could properly court each other, after they both gave in and admitted that their bickering was hiding genuine feelings.

Even as she took her last breath, Usagi smiled. Somehow she knew this wasn't the end.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW. Epilogue to come shortly. <strong>


	22. Epilogue: New Beginnings

**AN: This it, you guys! This if the FINAL CHAPTER of Changes! Wow. I know last chapter I already gushed about how much this story, and your guys' support has meant to me, but I just need to say it again. This has been such an awesome journey, and I have loved writing and developing this story over the years. I'm really going to miss it!**

**A billion thanks and more to Sailor-Linnea, CowabungaBabe95, WhiteWinterStar, petites sorcieres, James Birdsong, and Starlight1812 for reviewing, plus n.j and Can' . . name for reviewing earlier chapters. You guys are amazing and I love you all. **

**I am blown away by how many reviews I got, and all the kind words. So please do one last thing and review this epilogue!**

**Last thing: I am planning a sequel to this, and this epilogue is kind of getting things started for that. I'm doing NaNoWriMo next month, so I will be taking a short hiatus from fanfiction, but I hope to have the first chapter of the sequel out in early December, so stay tuned!**

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful sunny day, and Usagi Tsukino woke to the irritating sound of her alarm clock.<p>

"Mmm, just a little longer," she mumbled, turning over in her bed.

"Usagi!" her mother called from the bottom of the stairs. "It's 7:30! If you don't get up right this instant, you will be late for school again!"

"It's 7:30?" she sprung up in bed. "Why didn't someone tell me?"

She scrambled out of bed, tripping over her own feet in the haste to get dressed. She hobbled down the stairs, trying to get one of her socks on.

"Your lunch is already packed," Ikuko said. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"I don't have time," she said, mournfully eyeing the pancakes her mama had made. "I have to run!"

She grabbed a pancake from the table, stuffed it in her mouth, and snatched her lunchbox on the way out the door.

"I'm late I'm late I'm late I'm late," she muttered to herself as she hurried along. She really only had herself to blame, she should have gotten up earlier. But she had been having the most wonderful dream… the details were all fuzzy now, but she remembered that there was an incredibly handsome man with the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen.

She wasn't sure why, but she felt like she knew this man. There was something about him… the dream had had such a melancholy feel to it, though. It was romantic, but there was something sad about it, too, and she felt like there was something she should be remembering.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the guy standing on the corner of the sidewalk before she ran into him.

"Gah!" she collided with him head on. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was…. going." She stumbled over her words as the man turned around. He looked just like the guy in her dreams!

He was looking at her peculiarly. "Do… do I know you from somewhere?"

"I don't think so," she said, but he was right. It wasn't just that he had been in her dream, he just seemed so familiar to her. But why?

"Huh," was all he said.

"I have to go," she blurted out, and ran away. Once she rounded the corner, she collapsed against the side of the building. Why was her heart racing like this? What was it about that guy that made her feel this way? Sure, she was susceptible to cute guys, but that wasn't it. It didn't just feel like an attraction, it felt like… something _more._

In the distance, she heard the school bell ring, and it snapped her to attention. She couldn't let this guy get to her; she had to hurry to class.

* * *

><p>After a long day at school, Usagi walked home, lost in her thoughts. All day long she had been daydreaming about the mysterious guy from her dreams, and the way she had run into him earlier. And it wasn't just him, there were other weird things going on. Like how in school she'd passed by the girl genius, Ami Mizuno, and their eyes met, and she felt some sort of… connection.<p>

And also, that girl who had supposedly been kicked out of her last school for fighting. Somehow, Usagi felt like she should be sharing lunch with her and gossiping about boys, which was ridiculous, because she didn't know her.

None of this made any sense, and it bothered her. She didn't like things that didn't make sense to her. Sighing, she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Hey there, kitty," she said as a black cat walked over towards her. "I bet _you_ haven't been having weird dreams and the strangest sense of déja vu lately. Although, that mark on your forehead…" she chuckled to herself. She'd probably just been reading too many comics lately, and now she was trying to turn everything into some fantasy.

"It's good that you've been having weird dreams," the cat said. "It's a sign. The world needs you again, Usagi."

"What?" Usagi blinked several times trying to clear her vision, because surely that cat did not just talk to her. "Cats don't talk." But even as she said it, she had the strangest feeling that some cats _did _talk, and once upon a time she had considered it perfectly normal.

"Usagi, I need you to remember," the cat said. "A new enemy has appeared, and the world needs Sailor Moon."

"Sailor Moon?" she said. "But it's Sailor V… and yet… why does that sound so familiar to me?"

"Remember!" the cat said, the crescent moon mark on its forehead beginning to glow.

Suddenly, everything came back in a rush. Life as Sailor Moon, the Senshi she fought alongside with who were also her best friends, the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl, everyone dying, dying herself… Mamoru! She gasped, clutching at her head.

"Sorry," the cat, who Usagi now remembered as Luna, said. "The memory rushing back can be overwhelming, but there wasn't any other way of getting you to remember."

"Luna!" she cried out tearfully, pulling the cat into a hug. "What happened? I thought I would never see you again, you said I had to die to save the world… I _did_ die! Does this mean the world is still in danger?"

"You succeeded," Luna said. "The Dark Kingdom is no more. And I'm sorry I had to awaken you, I know you just wanted to lead a normal life. I truly though that with the Dark Kingdom gone, you and everyone else could just be normal. But a new enemy has appeared, and the world needs Sailor Moon again."

"What about the others?" she asked. "I can't do this alone."

"I know," Luna said. "Which is why Artemis is awakening them as we speak. The whole team will be back together again."

"What about Mamoru?" she asked. "I ran into him earlier! Is he being awakened as well?"

"I… don't know," Luna admitted. "I cannot control whether or not he regains his memories."

"Oh," she said. "Well, that doesn't mean he won't remember, just that you don't know. I'm sure he'll remember."

"Another thing," Luna said. "Using the Hikawa shrine as our headquarters will no longer be feasible, it's inconvenient and out of the way. Artemis and I have set up a new base, located underneath the arcade. Artemis and the other Senshi will be arriving there once they have all been awakened."

"Then let's go," she said.

* * *

><p>"How are we supposed to get in without anyone noticing us?" Usagi asked as they approached the entrance to the arcade. "The arcade is usually pretty crowded, and it's not like we can just saunter down to some secret base."<p>

"There's a hidden entrance," Luna said. "Don't worry, no one will see us."

Sure enough, despite the many people in the arcade, Luna led Usagi towards the back, pulled a lever on an old version of the Sailor V game, and a secret staircase appeared. No one noticed as they walked down the stairs.

Usagi gasped as she took in the room. It was much better than the meetings they'd held at Rei's shrine. There were multiple state-of-the-art computers, and a large overhead display.

"There's a training room at the back," Luna said. "This facility should provide for all of our needs."

Usagi heard footsteps on the stairs behind her, and whirled around, afraid that someone had discovered them. Instead, she found Makoto, paused on the top of the staircase.

"Mako-chan!" Usagi cried out, running towards her friend, and throwing her arms around her neck.

"Usagi!" Makoto said, returning the hug. "It's so good to see you."

Ami, Rei and Minako arrived shortly after, and five girls threw themselves at each other, hugging and reveling in the pure joy of being alive and having their memories back.

"I will never forgive you all for dying to protect me," Usagi said tearfully. "It was a terrible, terrible thing."

"We all had to die," Ami said gently. "But let's just focus on the fact that we're somehow here now."

Usagi nodded, wiping away her tears, and hugged Ami again.

"Speaking of which," Ami said, turning to Luna. "How _are_ we still alive?"

"When Usagi died defeating Beryl, she unconsciously used the power of the Silver Crystal to reincarnate all of you," Artemis said from the top of the stairs. "Similar to how Queen Serenity sent all of you to the present after the fall of the Moon Kingdom."

"Now that we're all here, we need to discuss this new enemy which has appeared," Luna said. "It's why I awakened all of you."

"What do we know about it?" Ami asked.

"Not much yet," Luna admitted. "The computers have been running all kinds of tests and diagnostics, but it's still unclear. All we know is that there have been several unusual energy spikes lately, which have seemed malicious and unnatural in behavior. In addition, there have been a few civilian reports of seeing monsters."

"Um… how long has it been?" Usagi asked. "Since we all died."

Luna and Artemis shared a look.

"It's been three months," Luna said. "After the fall of the Dark Kingdom, there was peace for the first time in a very long time. We thought you had all died during the battle, but I went by your house anyways, Usagi, to check on your family. And through the window I could see you, very much alive, and seemingly just a normal girl."

"We know how much all of you wished to return to your normal lives," Artemis said. "And we wished we could have let you stay normal and happy, but with these mysterious new enemy sightings, Luna and I knew the world needed the Sailor Senshi again."

"Artemis and I have been keeping tabs on you for the past three months," Luna said. "We've been following you, making sure you were safe. At first, I was reluctant to awaken you, but when you mentioned that you'd been having strange dreams lately, Usagi, I knew it meant that you were ready to be awoken as Sailor Moon once more."

"What about Mamoru?" Usagi asked. "I know you said you can't control whether or not he remembers who he is, Luna, but have you been following him, too? Has anything seemed different about him?"

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Luna said. "He seems to be perfectly normal."

"Oh," Usagi said, crestfallen.

Before anyone could say anything else, a loud beep sounded from the computer. Luna and Artemis rushed over to see what it was.

"There's been a report of a monster in downtown Tokyo!" Artemis said. "Right in the middle of the park. You girls should head over to see what it is."

Usagi nodded, pushing away her fears and doubts about Mamoru. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>The girls arrived at the park several minutes later, looking for any signs that a monster had been there.<p>

"What's that?" Rei asked, pointing off into the distance.

"I think it might be a youma!" Minako said. "Let's go!"

They quickly transformed, and ran off towards the youma. As they got closer, they could tell that it was definitely some sort of monster, but it didn't look like any kind of youma they had experienced before. It was humanoid, with what looked like razor-sharp claws. That in and of itself wasn't unusual, but something about it just seemed… different.

"You there!" Sailor Moon said. "Who are you, and what do you want with the citizens of this city?"

"You are Sailor Moon!" it hissed. "I must destroy." It swiped towards her with its claws, just barely missing her.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury provided a fog to help shield them from the creature.

"Fire Soul!" Mars cried out.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus said at the same time, and their attacks combined, hitting the monster.

"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon cried out, ready to finish off this… thing.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter's lightning combined with Sailor Moon's tiara, and it dusted the monster.

"That wasn't too bad," Sailor Moon said.

"I get the feeling this is just the beginning," Mercury said. "We should go back to the base, I want to do some research on this, and see what Luna and Artemis already know."

The Senshi dropped their transformations, and headed back towards the base. Despite the ease of the battle, Usagi was worried. There had been no sign of Tuxedo Kamen. Sure, maybe he hadn't shown up because they defeated the monster so quickly, but if he remembered who he was, wouldn't he have shown up anyways? Usagi didn't like it.

* * *

><p>Back at the base, Ami was researching this new enemy, while Usagi sat moping.<p>

"Hey, what's the matter, Usagi?" Makoto asked.

"It's Mamoru," she said. "Tuxedo Kamen didn't show up at the battle. What if he doesn't remember? What if he never remembers who he is, who I am? How am I supposed to do this without him?"

"Maybe he just didn't show up because you weren't really in danger," Makoto offered. "You and he are meant to be, Usagi. I'm sure he will remember eventually, if he doesn't already."

"But Luna said he seemed perfectly normal," she said. "She said he hadn't shown any signs of remembering. Although…" she broke off, suddenly recalling her encounter with him earlier.

"What is it?" Makoto asked.

"Before I had been awakened, I ran into him," Usagi said. "And it weirded me out, because he seemed so familiar, despite the fact that I didn't know him. But I wasn't the only one, he seemed like he recognized me, too, but didn't know why."

"Well, there you have it!" Makoto said. "Maybe he just needs a little prodding, a refresher. Why don't you go talk to him?"

"You're right," she said. "Thank you, Mako-chan."

She ran up the stairs, coming out into the back room of the arcade where the old Sailor V game was located. She wasn't sure where to find Mamoru, but she was already at the arcade, and he used to frequent there, so it seemed like a safe bet to start there.

She was in luck. As she entered the main part of the arcade, she saw him sitting at the counter, his back turned to her. Suddenly, her mouth went dry, and she was tempted to turn around and go back. What was she supposed to say or do? What if she tried and failed?

But before she had a chance to talk herself out of it, he turned around and saw her. For a second, he looked slightly confused, and her heart fell. He didn't remember her. But then his face broke into a grin, and he strode towards her.

"Usako," he breathed, pulling her into his arms.

"Mamo-chan," she said. "You remember?"

"I remember everything," he said, and he leaned down to kiss her.

She melted into his arms, and in that moment she knew that everything would be all right. Mamoru was here, he remembered who he was and who she was, and whatever came their way, she could fight it. And she would succeed, because finally, after a thousand years, after dying and being reincarnated twice, after him being brainwashed, after everything that had happened, they were together again. Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, Usagi and Mamoru.

She could face anything as long as he was by her side.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I love you all. Please review?<strong>


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